Why blame Kiffin but not Marinelli?

[CyberB0b]

Oh, really? What if you added Anthony Spencer, a healthy Jay Ratliff, Tyrone Crawford, and Ben Bass to the DL?

What if Ware and Hatcher hadn't each also missed time with injuries?

The DL depth was fine. In fact, you could easily argue that the DL looked to be in very good shape entering the season.

Then the injuries happened. And kept happening. And didn't stop.

Ware hasn't been healthy in 2 years. Jay Ratliff hasn't been healthy in 3 years. Tyrone Crawford was a total unknown, so let's not act like he was a Pro Bowler. Ben Bass? Get real.

 

[wileedog]

Oh, really? What if you added Anthony Spencer, a healthy Jay Ratliff, Tyrone Crawford, and Ben Bass to the DL?

They had no idea obviously if Spencer would play, and Ratliff was obviously angling to never again play on this team. Did you notice him in a Bear uniform tonight? And Crawford and Bass have done exactly what in this league?

What if Ware and Hatcher hadn't each also missed time with injuries?

Ware is out there healthy doing nothing but running around QBs. Kudos to Hatcher for being the lone bright spot this year.

The DL depth was fine. In fact, you could easily argue that the DL looked to be in very good shape entering the season.

Only if you are Jerry Jones.

Then the injuries happened. And kept happening. And didn't stop.

But they weren't unpredictable. Spencer and Rat were hurt going into TC. Behind them was nothing but unproven youth, and when they got hurt they had to bring in the Selvie's off the street.

No well run organization in our position with the only proven players having for the most part injury concerns would decide that is the time to switch to a 4-3. That's not even going into the wasting of all those resources on cover CBs just to put them in a cover-2.

 

[Tabascocat]

Ware hasn't been healthy in 2 years. Jay Ratliff hasn't been healthy in 3 years. Tyrone Crawford was a total unknown, so let's not act like he was a Pro Bowler. Ben Bass? Get real.

Add in the fact that we didn't have 4-3 zone corners when they made the switch. It was a knee-jerk decision at the time.

 

[kevm3]

What did you expect Marinelli to do with the 'talent' we've got on that D line?

 

[Ender]

Why blame anyone? The blame game is old.Blame ourselves for continually buying in to the BS show Jerry gives us every year. That's were the blame lies. I love this team, always will, but I have embraced the reality that is Jerry and him hiring a GM is the only way any of this changes.

 

[Deep_South]

The Tampa 2 is Kiffin's invention, and it doesn't work here. Fire Kiffin and go back to the 3-4. Draft some big D players and start over.

 

[Nav22]

But they weren't unpredictable. Spencer and Rat were hurt going into TC. Behind them was nothing but unproven youth, and when they got hurt they had to bring in the Selvie's off the street.

Free agency starts in March, the draft happens in late April.

Training camp starts in July.

So how were we supposed to know, in March/April, that we'd have such a huge need on the DL?

 

[CyberB0b]

Free agency starts in March, the draft happens in late April.

Training camp starts in July.

So how were we supposed to know, in March/April, that we'd have such a huge need on the DL?

I wouldn't have signed Spencer to franchise tag #2. That leaves 11 million dollars to plug a lot of holes.

 

[Wayne02]

This team needs to follow the Seattle model of drafting corners. Get big physical guys not these finesse afraid to tackle players. Seahawks nab a Byron Maxwell in the 6th round 2 years ago and we get this scrub Webb with a 4th.

B.W. Webb is quite possibly the worst football player in the entire league, I'm in shock that he is practice squad material, and the Cowboys have him on a 53 man roster. Unbelievable.

 

[wileedog]

Free agency starts in March, the draft happens in late April.

Training camp starts in July.

So how were we supposed to know, in March/April, that we'd have such a huge need on the DL?

My point is they didn't know what they had. There were way too many variables.

That's why you don't arbitrarily decide to switch your whole defensive scheme, and then not supplement that switch in any way whatsoever.

2nd round TEs FTW....

 

[Nav22]

I wouldn't have signed Spencer to franchise tag #2. That leaves 11 million dollars to plug a lot of holes.

Hindsight's awesome, isn't it? A healthy Spencer could have been awesome in this scheme.

My point is they didn't know what they had. There were way too many variables.

That's why you don't arbitrarily decide to switch your whole defensive scheme, and then not supplement that switch in any way whatsoever.

They "didn't know what they had"? What does that even mean?

They had a depth chart that looked good entering the season but got completely ravaged by injuries. They knew exactly what they had, they just never got a chance to play those guys.

It's very easy to sit there and say "this unit isn't playing well because the players suck/coaches suck/front office sucks"...

But the truth is that nobody knows how our DL would've done this year if they were healthy. What we DO know is that there is no DL in the entire league that would be effective with the amount of injuries we've suffered there this year.

 

[wileedog]

Hindsight's awesome, isn't it? A healthy Spencer could have been awesome in this scheme.

Except he wasn't healthy. Its not like he got re-injured, he never played a down. You might want to make sure he is 100% before committing to a scheme that absolutely requires him.

But the truth is that nobody knows how our DL would've done this year if they were healthy. What we DO know is that there is no DL in the entire league that would be effective with the amount of injuries we've suffered there this year.

And once again, 2 of the guys who are injured were injured before the season started and couldn't be counted on. The rest were unproven anyway. Crawford and Bass may have been 100% all year and sucked just as bad as the rest of the dreck we have been rolling out there, we don't know. Outside the time Lee has been actually healthy, the LBers too have been underwhelming in the this system. Carter looks like a different player.

It was a foolish, short-sighted reactionary move to take this defense to a 4-3 cover 2 and then do NOTHING to make sure that transition succeeded. Period.

 

[JoeyBoy718]

Why blame the offense but not Romo. The apologists are persistent.

 

[CyberB0b]

Hindsight's awesome, isn't it? A healthy Spencer could have been awesome in this scheme.

Considering we were "up against the cap" (quoting Stephen) and Spencer had produced about half a season during his time here, I would say that was a bad move. Kind of like the Roy Williams trade. Kind of like the trade up to get Claiborne.

 

[SportsGuru80]

It's not just about depth it's about QUALITY DEPTH! Hell we must really focus on getting good depth.

 

[SportsGuru80]

Please tell me this is the week we come up with something better than "we lost 'cause of injuries".

I get so sick and tired of hearing that, every team in the NFL deals with injuries.

 

[Roadtrip635]

Jerry was hoping that a 30+ year old DL was going to hold up for an entire season and that was knowing about 2 injuries going in. We completely neglected the DL during the draft. He banked on the best case scenario and got the worst and this team is paying the price. The gamble didn't pay off.

 

[wileedog]

Why blame the offense but not Romo. The apologists are persistent.

I almost can't wait until numbnuts like you have to put up with the years of Jerry drafting the Quincy's and Hutches of the world. You have no idea how long it is going to be until we have a QB again once Romo is gone.

 

[neosapien23]

Its not the coaching...The Dline lacks talent. Ware is no longer an impact player and Hatcher is on the wrong side of 30. Dallas needs to blow all four picks next year on the Dline next year and see what happens.

 

[coult44]

As long as we're irrationally blaming coaches for the team underachieving, why no blame for Marinelli?

After all, the DL is a joke along with the rest of the D (see the pathetic sack numbers from his "Rushmen"), and Marinelli's the DL coach.

So what gives? Is it because he's younger than Kiffin? More likeable? Looks the part more than Kiffin? Why are so many people willing to fire Kiffin and promote Marinelli? Do you NOT realize they believe in the same defensive principles and basically run the exact same defense?

In case you couldn't tell, I personally don't blame either one of these guys. I blame injuries. These coaches are in an impossible situation this year with this team. Seventeen different DL have taken snaps this year, and 6/9 of our current DL were signed as street free agents this year. Add in the fact that Sean Lee is as brittle as Sean Lee is, Justin Durant's out and Claiborne's out, and there is zero chance for success. None.

See Rob Ryan's defense with the healthy Saints. Gee, I wonder why he couldn't do that last year with the injury-riddled Cowboys!!!

I blame both of them.....The game has passed them both by...