Upon Further Review

[AsthmaField]

Not a 3-4. It's the Pete Carroll Seattle 4-3 hybrid. I have a draft article on the Wikipedia about it (getting it in draft status was a huge mistake)..

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draft:Seattle_4-3_hybrid_defense

For those of you who can't handle what I post on wikipedia, I willl recomment this Bob Condotta article on the Seattle Times about it.. Bucky Brooks also has a good article on it..

Defense 101

In the article we get this quote from DQ:

Thank you. I’m not sure why so many struggle with this concept.

 

[ChuckA1]

Nice post, Stash

 

[AsthmaField]

Man, I sure hope so. All defensive coordinators talk the talk about how they want to be physical and play downhill, blah blah blah..but you almost never see it. Maybe it's harder said than done. I don't know.

I will give them credit, they drafted guys to help make playing aggressive and downhill possible, so hopefully they can actually do it. I'm sick of playing soft defensively, I hate it.

I have hope that it will be a huge improvement… but like anything else in football, we will have to see it to be sure.

Frankly, even without any defensive additions, I think the defense would be improved because of Quinn. The assignment football and effort won’t be total crap like it was last year. I think improvement would be there even with the same players.

With free agency and this draft, I think the jump will be significant.

We gotta see it first though. I think we will.

 

[dwmyers]

Thank you. I’m not sure why so many struggle with this concept.

Yea. They need to look at the Seattle drafts from 2010 through 2013 or so. The 2012 draft is the best draft of the 21st century and how many tweeners were drafted there?
It's average ranking by draftniks was a C-.

It's not just that. Pete Carroll, you can see was running a 1 gap defense at USC based on Monte Kiffin's 4-3 under (the front on Tony Dungy's Tampa Bay teams), as Carroll had coached
with Kiffin for so long.

So he gets hired in 2010 to fix Seattle, which had a horrible run defense (deja vu).
And he upsizes the 4-3 under, and makes the players shift to the strong side of the offense, and finds that with specific roles,
he can use players that regular 3-4s and regular 4-3s cannot.

DQ was heavily involved in this, as he famously got Red Bryant to move from 3 tech to big end.

All that said, we have the DE special snowflake in DeMarcus Lawrence and he will get used.

We will not be in a 4 man front 70% of the time, we will be in it 100% of the time.

D-

 

[AsthmaField]

We will not be in a 4 man front 70% of the time, we will be in it 100% of the time.

D-

Yeah, that is why Quinn said “It will look like a 34”. Instead of just saying 34.

But people aren’t getting that.

 

[Typhus]

I'm fine with the 3-4 given the roster moves, but not if it means Tank is standing. Ever. I realize the Cowboys will rarely be in base D, but I don't ever want to see that again.

I dont know if it really matters what the base defense is, I just look at this Quinn scheme being very hybrid.
Having WLB like Neal that can transition down vs run, or cover is all anyone needs to know in order to understand the direction Quinn is building.
Cox was like a ripe cherry on the vine that you couldnt resist picking, and imagine Quinn falling in love with a player like Cox still sitting there that can basically redshirt if need be behind Jaylon and Neal at WLB.
The hybrid scheme isnt revolutionary, we just started trying to adapt finally to what a modern day defense has to do.
We have some cornerstones in place, so the needle is pointing up for this very young defensive overhaul.

 

[Stash]

So based on your analysis, Bohanna is our only NT and the Cowboys didnt have the position filled until the 6th round of the draft?

I definitely think Bohanna is the ‘leader in the clubhouse’. And I think that they felt (and feel) that they can fill the spot.

Not buying that one. I think they whiffed on the position again and scrambled in the 6th round to take Bohanna.

That’s fine. Opinions vary.

 

[CowboyRoy]

Great post. Hopefully it opens some eyes to change a few fans thinking as well. It did mine. I was kind of, well ok, they got some good players, but let's see what the others can do as well. A wait and see approach. Which I still will have.
However seeing it this way as well as you describe it, I do feel a little better about the draft. I was anyway, after reading more on each player, seeing highlight videos.
I had them around a C or C+, then went to B-, but looking more at B+ now.

As for the offense.
I do like the Fehoko kid, we needed a big tall WR, that can become an end zone threat. I think he will be my pet cat on offense this TC.

Some poepl

I could see Urban playing there some because of his run-stopping ability or perhaps Odighizuwa, who held up well at the nose in college despite his weight. Remember back when Parcells converted us to the 3-4, he had Ratliff playing the nose after Ferguson went down.

I don't think either is ideal because of Urban's height and Osa's size, but I don't see us just relying on a late-round pick to be able to step into the role as a rookie. However, that's probably the hope, that Bohanna can handle that role. If so, we could play Osa and Urban next to him on early downs for a stout run front.

Yah, I think its what I said. NT is the one position they whiffed in the draft. I agree that no guy they have is ideal.

 

[ChuckA1]

Some poepl


Yah, I think its what I said. NT is the one position they whiffed in the draft. I agree that no guy they have is ideal.

Neither was Snacks H when he was drafted, I don't think. Let's be hopeful he'll develop into a good NT.

 

[CowboyRoy]

Neither was Snacks H when he was drafted, I don't think. Let's be hopeful he'll develop into a good NT.

If Bohanna can become a legit NT then this draft will be epic.

 

[Stash]

If Bohanna can become a legit NT then this draft will be epic.

Maybe this will make you feel better? Both D-coordinator Dan Quinn and head coach McCarthy attended the Kentucky pro day. And Quinn himself talked with Bohanna.

 

[CowboyRoy]

Maybe this will make you feel better? Both D-coordinator Dan Quinn and head coach McCarthy attended the Kentucky pro day. And Quinn himself talked with Bohanna.

Probably went to check out Joseph.

I'm just finding it hard to believe that a rookie 6th round DT is going to come in and anchor the middle of our line. Cowboys just haven't been that good at drafting.

 

[Stash]

Probably went to check out Joseph.

I'm just finding it hard to believe that a rookie 6th round DT is going to come in and anchor the middle of our line. Cowboys just haven't been that good at drafting.

Skepticism is understandable. But that’s the job that this kid has been playing in college.

 

[tunahelper]

I like the outlook OP, but we have to be right here. Tank will be strong side backer, so he will struggle to adapt. RG probably adapts to ROLB and standing well, just my opinion obviously.

I think they may use Watkins at NT and I wonder if Hill will rotate at nose as well?

Jaylon may be kept around now with the base being 3-4.

 

[blueblood70]

ive always been wait and see before pass full judgement on teams new roster and year.let them play some games..

 

[gimmesix]

Yah, I think its what I said. NT is the one position they whiffed in the draft. I agree that no guy they have is ideal.

Not sure I'd call it a whiff. It appears the only NT worth taking before the fourth round was Alim McNeill (based on where he was drafted). I'm not sure how much we valued Bobby Brown, Togiai or Shelvin because we could have taken any of those with our first fourth-round pick. We could have gotten Slaton with our second fourth-round pick. We instead elected to wait until the sixth round to choose Bohanna, selecting him over Tonga and Marvin Wilson. I do think it reflects that we don't value the position enough to invest heavily in it. Frankly, the position appears to be valued less overall in the league, just not as little as we seem to value it.

 

[Stash]

I like the outlook OP, but we have to be right here. Tank will be strong side backer, so he will struggle to adapt. RG probably adapts to ROLB and standing well, just my opinion obviously.

I think Lawrence will be in that LEO role rushing the passer in his favored stance.

I think they may use Watkins at NT and I wonder if Hill will rotate at nose as well?

If I had to guess at the other nose candidate right now? And it’s just that, a guess, I’d say Gallimore. I’m not sure Hill even has a role on this team. I certainly don’t think he’s scheme sound enough to play the nose.

Jaylon may be kept around now with the base being 3-4.

For this year anyway.

I’d make sure to play him in a SOLB role where he’s moving forward as much as possible and in coverage as little as possible.

 

[Turk]

Probably went to check out Joseph.

I'm just finding it hard to believe that a rookie 6th round DT is going to come in and anchor the middle of our line. Cowboys just haven't been that good at drafting.

remember what round Ratlif was picked?

 

[fivetwos]

I think it's all but given they will add a veteran 1T either after cuts or via trade.

They won't leave that much on a 6th round rookie.

As far as Lawrence, one has to stretch to say he fits into this defense.

Let's put it this way.... if he were UFA looking for 20m per year would they sign him?

No chance.

Therefore the writing is on the wall for him big time.

I do think he has played well the last few years, but he is being paid like a sack guy and isn't.

 

[heir]

Regarding this year's draft, I was one of many who weren't overly thrilled with the draft decisions that were made. But after looking into things more closely, I have changed my mind quite a bit. Hearing Dan Quinn's press conference, I realized that I was under the mistaken impression that the team was drafting for a 4-3 defense when this was not the case.

Initially, I was not a fan of drafting Micah Parsons, given what the team had already put into Jaylon Smith, Leighton Vander Esch, and the signing of Keanu Neal. But looking at things through that '3-4 lens', the decisions look much smarter.

I also felt that Odighizuwa and Golston were poor choices for 4-3 defensive tackle and defensive end respectively. It turns out that I now think I was wrong, and that both in fact were drafted to be 3-4 defensive ends, a position with far different athletic requirements.

Looking deeper, it looks like the Carlos Watkins and Brent Urban signings were to play 3-4 end as well. The signs were there, but I didn't see them until now. And I actually credit the team for not formally announcing the scheme prior to the draft. They kept that news quiet and did not give opponents the opportunity to assume what players they were looking for. I think that was a smart move, as well as the talk of downgrading players who opted out in 2020. Given who they drafted, that was clearly not the case. I'm giving Jerry credit for throwing that chum in the water as well. I criticize when I feel he gives out to much information, so I give credit where I feel it's due when he slips in some disinformation.

My initial draft grade was a C if I recall correctly. Given what I know now, I will gladly readjust my grade to an A-. Other than the off-the-wall pick of Nahshon Wright, the haul looks much better today.

I personally won't change my opinions until I actually see the product on the field. The last thing that I will do is change my opinion after someone in the organization talks. They only spew garbage. Let me see it first!