Vincent Brown Not Returning to Cowboys Coaching Staff

[Doctor32]

The fact that Vincent Brown is gone is very telling. The Inside Backers, in my mind, were at the very core of all Dallas' problems on Defense. From failure to make coverage adjustments and inability to blitz from the ILB spots, it always seemed to stem from James and Ayodele. Both are good players - they just need a system in place that utilizes their stengths and minimizes their weaknesses.
For example, you would never ask Jeremiah Trotter to do what Urlacher does. Both are premier MLBs, but schematically, they are 2 totally different animals.

 

[TheDuke]

i'm not sure why bradie's production dropped off the second half of the season. i thought akin was consistent throughtout the season. maybe not 'great' but consistent none the least. hopefully under nguyen they can live up to their contracts.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

I'm glad he's gone.

 

[theogt]

Akin had a pretty darn good season. It was his first season in a 3-4, and he really outperformed my expectations. I would expect a heckuva season next year as well. His name doesn't belong in the same group as James's.

 

[Doctor32]

Akin had a pretty darn good season. It was his first season in a 3-4, and he really outperformed my expectations. I would expect a heckuva season next year as well. His name doesn't belong in the same group as James's.

Akin had good moments - true. But he was inconsistent. The Inside backers as a group was a big problem in December.

 

[Portland Fanatic]

I honesly expect Carp and Burnett to be the MILB...both are good in coverage and solid against the run. Maybe Ayodele stays and Burnnett stays outside, but Carp will go inside.

Ayodele and Carp
or
Burnett and Carp

Not sure where James will land...

 

[theogt]

Akin had good moments - true. But he was inconsistent. The Inside backers as a group was a big problem in December.

Akin wasn't ever a problem. The guy was pretty far from inconsistent.

 

[burmafrd]

Akin was solid but he did get victimized on coverage - just not as often as James did. Considering it was his FIRST year in the 3-4, he did well. But he can do better- and I really HOPE James can. Whatever they have, I believe that Dat can get all that they have out of them on the field.

 

[AsthmaField]

I honesly expect Carp and Burnett to be the MILB...both are good in coverage and solid against the run. Maybe Ayodele stays and Burnnett stays outside, but Carp will go inside.

Ayodele and Carp
or
Burnett and Carp

Not sure where James will land...

I almost always agree with your views, PF... but here I think that Carpenter will be our SOLB. He ended the season there and was really starting to come on. He's got the explosion and movement skills to excel in that role. With his size and first step quickness, and with Wade giving him the chance to go after the QB, I think you'll see a big year out of him.

Having said that, of course I could be wrong. If they'd rather him play inside, I think he'd do well there too... but a recent article saying that he lacks the strength to take on blocks worries me. If that's not true, then more power to him playing inside.

If we do play him inside, then who outside? I think you can stick a fork in Ellis. Burnett certainly has the athleticism as he's probably our most athletic LB, but is he big enough?

It might be that Wade wants to bring in another OLB either in free agency or the draft to play opposite Ware. Someone like Adalius Thomas (I doubt we'll get him though) or a draftee.

Who knows? But it's going to be fun to watch him put together his defense and to see who he plays where.

Heck, he might really surprise us and move Ware to SOLB since he's so good against the run and put Burnett at WOLB. That wouldn't be a bad idea, IMO and it would get our two most athletic OLB's on the field at the same time.

He had Donnie Edwards playing ILB at San Diego at 6-2, 227... so playing the super athletic Burnett (6-3, 240) at ILB in James' spot isn't out of the question either. That would provide great coverage from that spot and he'd run to the ball 10 times better than Bradie.

I'm very interested to see where he plays everyone.

I could see this line-up defensively:

LDE - Spears
NT - Fergie
RDE - Hatcher
SOLB - Carpenter
SILB - Burnett
WILB - Ayodele
WOLB - Ware
LCB - Newman
RCB - Assante Samuel or other free agent/draftee
SS - Williams
FS - Henry

 

[Portland Fanatic]

I almost always agree with your views, PF... but here I think that Carpenter will be our SOLB. He ended the season there and was really starting to come on. He's got the explosion and movement skills to excel in that role. With his size and first step quickness, and with Wade giving him the chance to go after the QB, I think you'll see a big year out of him.

Having said that, of course I could be wrong. If they'd rather him play inside, I think he'd do well there too... but a recent article saying that he lacks the strength to take on blocks worries me. If that's not true, then more power to him playing inside.

If we do play him inside, then who outside? I think you can stick a fork in Ellis. Burnett certainly has the athleticism as he's probably our most athletic LB, but is he big enough?

It might be that Wade wants to bring in another OLB either in free agency or the draft to play opposite Ware. Someone like Adalius Thomas (I doubt we'll get him though) or a draftee.

Who knows? But it's going to be fun to watch him put together his defense and to see who he plays where.

Heck, he might really surprise us and move Ware to SOLB since he's so good against the run and put Burnett at WOLB. That wouldn't be a bad idea, IMO and it would get our two most athletic OLB's on the field at the same time.

He had Donnie Edwards playing ILB at San Diego at 6-2, 227... so playing the super athletic Burnett (6-3, 240) at ILB in James' spot isn't out of the question either. That would provide great coverage from that spot and he'd run to the ball 10 times better than Bradie.

I'm very interested to see where he plays everyone.

I could see this line-up defensively:

LDE - Spears
NT - Fergie
RDE - Hatcher
SOLB - Carpenter
SILB - Burnett
WILB - Ayodele
WOLB - Ware
LCB - Newman
RCB - Assante Samuel or other free agent/draftee
SS - Williams
FS - Henry

It's hard to tell where Wade wants Carp's strengths...what ever we do I hope he sticks Carp and leaves him there from day one and not move him around. If he's outside then I hope Burnett moves inside along with Ayodele...those two would be solid inside in coverage.

Bradie is the tough call here because he is very good against the run, but not good against the pass...just like Roy.

The positive about this is that we have some good linebackers on this team...not a big need for the most part, unless they just don't fit.

 

[ddh33]

The ILBs did seem to take a step back. I don't know if that was more of a scheme issue or if it was a problem with talent or coaching?

I felt like the play of the ILBs was the primary reason why a guy like Roy Williams looked worse than he actually was. He got caught in between playing his responsibilities and covering for someone else too many times.

Unlike everyone else, I still think Bradie James is a solid LB. I was pretty impressed with Akin too. In a little different scheme, those guys may play very well next year. To me, it's just hard to come to a lot of firm conclusions about players from last season because of how everything went.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Even if Carpenter isn't the most physical ILB, he doesn't have to be anymore. Parcells required those guys to take on guards regularly, but they won't have to do that nearly as much anymore in Phillips' system. Donnie Edwards is hardly a power player at 228 lbs and he excelled in Phillips' system.

 

[Future]

i'm not sure why bradie's production dropped off the second half of the season. i thought akin was consistent throughtout the season. maybe not 'great' but consistent none the least. hopefully under nguyen they can live up to their contracts.

other teams realized that he cant cover a back to save his life

 

[MichaelWinicki]

other teams realized that he cant cover a back to save his life

I'm beginning to think that James issues have as much to do with fatigue as anything else. I mean the guy was acceptable in 2005. You mean he just woke up one day and "forgot" how to cover?

I think having him in the "nickel" was too much and it wore him out by the last 1/4 of the season.

 

[AsthmaField]

Even if Carpenter isn't the most physical ILB, he doesn't have to be anymore. Parcells required those guys to take on guards regularly, but they won't have to do that nearly as much anymore in Phillips' system. Donnie Edwards is hardly a power player at 228 lbs and he excelled in Phillips' system.

You might be right, Lab. That's why I'm holding out hope that we draft Buster Davis out of FSU. He hits everything that moves and I'd love to get him in the second or third round to put at ILB.

Parcells never would've drafted him, but Phillips might. The guy can flat out play LB. And he is very physical... and he's not small at all... just short, like Sam Mills. IMO he could play ILB.

 

[baj1dallas]

Akin wasn't ever a problem. The guy was pretty far from inconsistent.

I thought he improved as the year went on. By the end of the year he was batting down passes and making plays against the run.

I'm hopeful that Nguyen, who played beside James, can help him both improve his technique and his understanding to where they need to be to become the player everybody here thought he could be 3 years ago (do any of you remember that?)

 

[Da Hammer]

other teams realized that he cant cover a back to save his life

your right although what was even worse was that the coaching staff couldnt make an adjustment to put him in a better position to suceed. which is why i'm glad that just about every one on our defensive staff is gone as well as parcells

 

[Chocolate Lab]

You might be right, Lab. That's why I'm holding out hope that we draft Buster Davis out of FSU. He hits everything that moves and I'd love to get him in the second or third round to put at ILB.

Parcells never would've drafted him, but Phillips might. The guy can flat out play LB. And he is very physical... and he's not small at all... just short, like Sam Mills. IMO he could play ILB.

One thing I look forward to with Phillips is that he won't automatically eliminate players because they don't fit his beloved size prototype. It was a totally different system, I know, but just as an example, Wade wouldn't have tried to bench Coakley for a raw and unprepared Bradie James just because the vet "wasn't big enough".

Obviously a player has to be a certain size to play, but fixating on a player just because he's X inches tall and Y pounds of weight when you have a more productive player who is a couple inches shorter and ten pounds lighter is insane. Yet all too often, that's exactly what Parcells did.

 

[big dog cowboy]

The fact that Vincent Brown is gone is very telling.

Remember my old sign about getting rid of all the asst. coaches? Another one bites the dust.

 

[CrazyCowboy]

The fact that Vincent Brown is gone is very telling. The Inside Backers, in my mind, were at the very core of all Dallas' problems on Defense. From failure to make coverage adjustments and inability to blitz from the ILB spots, it always seemed to stem from James and Ayodele. Both are good players - they just need a system in place that utilizes their stengths and minimizes their weaknesses.
For example, you would never ask Jeremiah Trotter to do what Urlacher does. Both are premier MLBs, but schematically, they are 2 totally different animals.

I will not MISS this coach at all!

Good luck to him.........