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Know that this is definitely a “glass is half full” post… actually, it’s more like a “glass is all the way full” post. And I know how some of you here hate these kind of optimistic posts. To you I apologize. I just can’t help but be excited about what next year might bring.
In Dallas, we really might be on to something. Think about it. We were close last year, with the only thing that really kept us from going deep into the postseason was a defense that lost its way late in the year. Had they continued their play from September and October, we likely would’ve had a shot to go.
Now was that legitimate shot because of Parcells coaching? I don’t think Parcells had that much to do with it. I feel like it was because of the talent we had and a because of a red hot QB who will only get better with time.
Think of the positives for next year:
The defense. Wade Phillips is simply very, very good running a 3-4 defense. His units are fun to watch, fun to play in for the players, and they are undeniably effective. Without any personnel changes, I’d wager that Phillips would have our same group of defenders playing much better defense… particularly than what they were playing towards the end of the season. What he will do with Demarcus Ware and a much improved Bobby Carpenter at outside linebacker should be fun to watch. Carpenter showed in the playoff loss to Seattle that he’s ready to make an impact at OLB, and that was playing in the passive scheme run by our former coaches. He will be put in excellent position to make big plays this season, particularly playing opposite a player of Ware’s caliber. If Carpenter really comes on, who will get the double teams? The RB chips? It'll be a real problem for offensive coordinators.
Just like Shawne Merriman (16.5 sacks) and Shaun Phillips (11.5 sacks) at OLB for the Bolts, Ware and Carpenter will be a focal point for pressuring opposing offenses. By moving them around to find favorable matchups they will create havoc for offenses. How many times did we see Merriman or Phillips being blocked by a RB instead of an OT? Much more than we saw it for Ware, that’s certain. Wade will put those two where they will succeed. They’ll be going forward much more than they were last year when they had to drop in coverage or hold their block to read the play. That fact alone gives me a lot of hope for next year.
Then, consider that the DE’s will have only one gap to control instead of two and will be able to use their athleticism to shoot the gap instead of holding the block to read which gap to protect. That should enable the wildly athletic Spears to use his ability to get into the backfield with regularity. His forte is moving to the ball, not holding the block to diagnose where the ball is going. That’s why Marcus’ stats have been average. His athleticism is like that of a 250 pound guy, not a 300 pounder like he is. He's a freak who hasn't been used correctly at all. Luis Castillo, the San Diego DE had 7 sacks and numerous pressures and was a vital player in Wade’s defense. He doesn’t have the pure athleticism that Spears has, yet he was allowed to attack and shoot the gap. This year, Spears and Canty/Hatcher will be able to do the same and their numbers should show it. QB’s will have much less comfort and much less time to find open receivers because our DE’s will be able to shoot the gap at the snap instead of reading the play first. They’ll hit their gap at the snap and the OL won’t have the time to get set in their stance like they have against Dallas in the past. Think of Hatcher and his natural ability to get after the QB. He’s going to have a blast just hitting a hole and going after the QB instead of fist fighting with the OT in front of him. I don’t doubt that Phillips might move him into the starting rotation in his sophomore season. He’s probably the most physically gifted DE we have, if it isn’t Spears. Spears and Hatcher coming on passing downs… just pinning their ears back and getting after the QB will be a sight to see. The improvement in our DE’s alone would make us a better defense.
Now, think of Ware walking up next to Hatcher on one side and Carpenter walking up next to Spears on the other side, with cat quick Ratliff playing on the nose. We’ll likely see that on passing downs. Now imagine that when the ball is snapped all they have to do is hit their assigned gap and get to the QB. They might stunt around or they might all come straight. Now imagine Roy Williams walking up between Ratliff and Hatcher. What will the QB be thinking. Will all 6 be coming? Will Spears drop back in zone coverage? Will Roy? Will Carpenter? No more clogging up 5 yards in front of the QB. No more bogged down blitzes that simply take defenders out of passing lanes. No... they'll get there and they'll do it in a hurry.
That is what makes the 3-4 so dangerous and that is what we’ve been missing in Zimmer’s/Parcells 3-4. There are literally so many things that can be done out of that formation and we haven’t been doing hardly any of them.
Wade Phillips will. We will attack. With Ware, Hatcher, Williams, Ratliff, Spears, Carpenter up on the line of scrimmage, we’ll put some fear in opposing offenses. We’ll dictate to them with our athletes. Each one of those guys I mentioned are good at getting to the QB. Any could drop back in a zone coverage. They could stunt and Ware could come straight over the center and have to be picked up by the RB… just like Merriman used to. Ratliff could stunt outside with Roy coming straight up the middle and Spears and Carpenter overloading the right side of the OL. The combinations are almost endless and finally we have a coach who will use them all. We will finally see a confused QB and an OL that doesn't know before the snap where the rushers will be coming from. Like I said... no more scrum 5 yards in front of the pocket.
I’m so excited I can hardly wait until training camp.
That is before we make any additions. We might end up getting another pressure player for the front seven in free agency like Adalius Thomas. Burnett might finally assert himself and use his endless talent… or Wade might find a use for his rare athleticism. When he blitzes it’s like he’s shot out of a cannon, and as a former safety, his coverage is outstanding for a LB. If Phillips finds a way to blitz him along with Ware and Carpenter… look out.
We might get a very good cover corner in free agency and move Henry to FS where I think he’ll excel. That move in itself would likely help the defense a ton, even without Phillips fixing the front seven. Put those improvements together and you have a dominant defense.
No matter who we add... Phillips will find a way to use them all to their best advantage. That alone is why I'm so excited to see Wade as the new coach.
Who knows what Phillips will do with a talent like Watkins? A 6 foot 5 inch safety who has a year under his belt? Wade might so wonders for him.
And Roy? If they finally leave him near the line of scrimmage, he’ll tear up the league. I have a feeling Wade will do just that.
Truly, the sky is the limit for what Phillips can do with our defense. He must be licking his chops looking at the defensive roster and seeing how misused they were last year. I’ll say it again: It’s gonna be fun!
Offensively, we simply need to continue what we started last year. Romo will have an entire offseason and preseason as the undisputed starter. With Garrett here to work with him, he should do nothing but get better and better. He’ll harness that “moxie” and the team will only continue to rally around what is undoubtedly a winner. That’s what he is… a winner. The team knows that and they’ve all firmly hitched their wagons to Tony Romo.
To him, add TO, Terry Glenn, Jason Witten and the rest of the offense and you can see why they scored so many points last season. With a couple of free agents (OL?) and a couple of draft picks, this unit will only get better… even without Romo’s inevitable improvement.
Then, throw in Jason Garrett’s input along with Sparano’s and we could hit even higher levels this season. Certainly, Parcells input won’t be missed on offense.
TO should have his hand corrected and with a WR coach who can work with him (If history is any indication) he should have an even bigger season than last year.
Overall, offense looks to be in capable hands and the talent is there. Three receivers? No problem: TO, Glenn, and Crayton/Hurd along with Witten. Two TE set? No Problem: Witten and Fasano with Glenn and TO. Throw in Barber close to the goalline and score a TD.
Romo will be able to get the ball to any of them and buy time if his protection breaks down. I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t be better on offense than last year. Replace the couple of weak links in FA or the draft, let Romo grow in his second season as a starter, and enjoy some imaginative play calling from Garrett/Sparano, and we should be in for a treat.
Now, consider what a good ball control offense who scores a lot of points coupled with a talented, attacking defense who won’t let any offense dictate to them, can mean. Think about that and you can see why I’m really excited about this coming season and what it can mean in the history of the Dallas Cowboys.
It’s going to be an enjoyable ride and it won’t be boring, that’s for sure. Not with Romo leading the offense and Phillips 3-4 tearing up the league. It’s been a long wait for us Cowboy fans… but I think the wait is finally just about over.
To quote ElDorado: “Getcha popcorn ready!”
In Dallas, we really might be on to something. Think about it. We were close last year, with the only thing that really kept us from going deep into the postseason was a defense that lost its way late in the year. Had they continued their play from September and October, we likely would’ve had a shot to go.
Now was that legitimate shot because of Parcells coaching? I don’t think Parcells had that much to do with it. I feel like it was because of the talent we had and a because of a red hot QB who will only get better with time.
Think of the positives for next year:
The defense. Wade Phillips is simply very, very good running a 3-4 defense. His units are fun to watch, fun to play in for the players, and they are undeniably effective. Without any personnel changes, I’d wager that Phillips would have our same group of defenders playing much better defense… particularly than what they were playing towards the end of the season. What he will do with Demarcus Ware and a much improved Bobby Carpenter at outside linebacker should be fun to watch. Carpenter showed in the playoff loss to Seattle that he’s ready to make an impact at OLB, and that was playing in the passive scheme run by our former coaches. He will be put in excellent position to make big plays this season, particularly playing opposite a player of Ware’s caliber. If Carpenter really comes on, who will get the double teams? The RB chips? It'll be a real problem for offensive coordinators.
Just like Shawne Merriman (16.5 sacks) and Shaun Phillips (11.5 sacks) at OLB for the Bolts, Ware and Carpenter will be a focal point for pressuring opposing offenses. By moving them around to find favorable matchups they will create havoc for offenses. How many times did we see Merriman or Phillips being blocked by a RB instead of an OT? Much more than we saw it for Ware, that’s certain. Wade will put those two where they will succeed. They’ll be going forward much more than they were last year when they had to drop in coverage or hold their block to read the play. That fact alone gives me a lot of hope for next year.
Then, consider that the DE’s will have only one gap to control instead of two and will be able to use their athleticism to shoot the gap instead of holding the block to read which gap to protect. That should enable the wildly athletic Spears to use his ability to get into the backfield with regularity. His forte is moving to the ball, not holding the block to diagnose where the ball is going. That’s why Marcus’ stats have been average. His athleticism is like that of a 250 pound guy, not a 300 pounder like he is. He's a freak who hasn't been used correctly at all. Luis Castillo, the San Diego DE had 7 sacks and numerous pressures and was a vital player in Wade’s defense. He doesn’t have the pure athleticism that Spears has, yet he was allowed to attack and shoot the gap. This year, Spears and Canty/Hatcher will be able to do the same and their numbers should show it. QB’s will have much less comfort and much less time to find open receivers because our DE’s will be able to shoot the gap at the snap instead of reading the play first. They’ll hit their gap at the snap and the OL won’t have the time to get set in their stance like they have against Dallas in the past. Think of Hatcher and his natural ability to get after the QB. He’s going to have a blast just hitting a hole and going after the QB instead of fist fighting with the OT in front of him. I don’t doubt that Phillips might move him into the starting rotation in his sophomore season. He’s probably the most physically gifted DE we have, if it isn’t Spears. Spears and Hatcher coming on passing downs… just pinning their ears back and getting after the QB will be a sight to see. The improvement in our DE’s alone would make us a better defense.
Now, think of Ware walking up next to Hatcher on one side and Carpenter walking up next to Spears on the other side, with cat quick Ratliff playing on the nose. We’ll likely see that on passing downs. Now imagine that when the ball is snapped all they have to do is hit their assigned gap and get to the QB. They might stunt around or they might all come straight. Now imagine Roy Williams walking up between Ratliff and Hatcher. What will the QB be thinking. Will all 6 be coming? Will Spears drop back in zone coverage? Will Roy? Will Carpenter? No more clogging up 5 yards in front of the QB. No more bogged down blitzes that simply take defenders out of passing lanes. No... they'll get there and they'll do it in a hurry.
That is what makes the 3-4 so dangerous and that is what we’ve been missing in Zimmer’s/Parcells 3-4. There are literally so many things that can be done out of that formation and we haven’t been doing hardly any of them.
Wade Phillips will. We will attack. With Ware, Hatcher, Williams, Ratliff, Spears, Carpenter up on the line of scrimmage, we’ll put some fear in opposing offenses. We’ll dictate to them with our athletes. Each one of those guys I mentioned are good at getting to the QB. Any could drop back in a zone coverage. They could stunt and Ware could come straight over the center and have to be picked up by the RB… just like Merriman used to. Ratliff could stunt outside with Roy coming straight up the middle and Spears and Carpenter overloading the right side of the OL. The combinations are almost endless and finally we have a coach who will use them all. We will finally see a confused QB and an OL that doesn't know before the snap where the rushers will be coming from. Like I said... no more scrum 5 yards in front of the pocket.
I’m so excited I can hardly wait until training camp.
That is before we make any additions. We might end up getting another pressure player for the front seven in free agency like Adalius Thomas. Burnett might finally assert himself and use his endless talent… or Wade might find a use for his rare athleticism. When he blitzes it’s like he’s shot out of a cannon, and as a former safety, his coverage is outstanding for a LB. If Phillips finds a way to blitz him along with Ware and Carpenter… look out.
We might get a very good cover corner in free agency and move Henry to FS where I think he’ll excel. That move in itself would likely help the defense a ton, even without Phillips fixing the front seven. Put those improvements together and you have a dominant defense.
No matter who we add... Phillips will find a way to use them all to their best advantage. That alone is why I'm so excited to see Wade as the new coach.
Who knows what Phillips will do with a talent like Watkins? A 6 foot 5 inch safety who has a year under his belt? Wade might so wonders for him.
And Roy? If they finally leave him near the line of scrimmage, he’ll tear up the league. I have a feeling Wade will do just that.
Truly, the sky is the limit for what Phillips can do with our defense. He must be licking his chops looking at the defensive roster and seeing how misused they were last year. I’ll say it again: It’s gonna be fun!
Offensively, we simply need to continue what we started last year. Romo will have an entire offseason and preseason as the undisputed starter. With Garrett here to work with him, he should do nothing but get better and better. He’ll harness that “moxie” and the team will only continue to rally around what is undoubtedly a winner. That’s what he is… a winner. The team knows that and they’ve all firmly hitched their wagons to Tony Romo.
To him, add TO, Terry Glenn, Jason Witten and the rest of the offense and you can see why they scored so many points last season. With a couple of free agents (OL?) and a couple of draft picks, this unit will only get better… even without Romo’s inevitable improvement.
Then, throw in Jason Garrett’s input along with Sparano’s and we could hit even higher levels this season. Certainly, Parcells input won’t be missed on offense.
TO should have his hand corrected and with a WR coach who can work with him (If history is any indication) he should have an even bigger season than last year.
Overall, offense looks to be in capable hands and the talent is there. Three receivers? No problem: TO, Glenn, and Crayton/Hurd along with Witten. Two TE set? No Problem: Witten and Fasano with Glenn and TO. Throw in Barber close to the goalline and score a TD.
Romo will be able to get the ball to any of them and buy time if his protection breaks down. I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t be better on offense than last year. Replace the couple of weak links in FA or the draft, let Romo grow in his second season as a starter, and enjoy some imaginative play calling from Garrett/Sparano, and we should be in for a treat.
Now, consider what a good ball control offense who scores a lot of points coupled with a talented, attacking defense who won’t let any offense dictate to them, can mean. Think about that and you can see why I’m really excited about this coming season and what it can mean in the history of the Dallas Cowboys.
It’s going to be an enjoyable ride and it won’t be boring, that’s for sure. Not with Romo leading the offense and Phillips 3-4 tearing up the league. It’s been a long wait for us Cowboy fans… but I think the wait is finally just about over.
To quote ElDorado: “Getcha popcorn ready!”
