Will Spears ever be a dominant player?

[WilmingtonHeel]

A bust and he hasn't played 16 games yet? Wow so by your logic more than half of the rookie class will be bust

 

[conner01]

11 games, 3 as a starter. playing a 3/4 de, rookie, missed part of camp,

i think it's a little early to be calling him a bust. geez

 

[MiStar]

I'm not that disapointed, but that may only be because I didn't expect very much in the first place. He's got the power to hold his ground, and enough speed to hurry the quarterback once he leaves the pocket. I don't think that he'll ever be the passrusher that ellis is or the disruptive force that Canty is. But that's OK with me.

 

[AbeBeta]

At this point he's a solid rotation player. BP doesn't play guys who don't deserve to play.

Lot's of guys fail to dominate early. I remember early whispers that Sean Rogers and Dwight Freeney were busts -- to recall just a few. Those guys turned out OK.

 

[speedkilz88]

Sean Rogers DT(81 tackles 3 sks as a rookie) and Dwight Freeney DE (41 tackles 13 sks as a rookie) were great as rookies. Freeney was Defensive rookie of the year and Rogers was in the running.

 

[Hiero]

I was never a Spears fan coming out of college, so Im a little biased. I dont think he's played to his potential, although it's definitely too early to judge still though. I am still very unsure on him, but I know for sure that he will at least be good enough to start in the future. Canty is already a lot better than him though, I am so glad we got Canty.

 

[SuspectCorner]

spears was a fine college player and is already starting for one of the leagues top defenses - despite a training camp injury that set him back several weeks.

i think he will benefit greatly from a year of continuity in "the system". a lot hinges on how hard he works in the off-season. if he makes the effort it will show on the field in improved play. he seems like a smart guy... a character guy. i'm betting on him.

i still love the pick.

 

[NorTex]

Don't expect to see impressive stats from a DE in the 3-4. I think the team stats are a reflection of how well Spears is playing.

 

[Rush 2112]

Bassackwards logic.

1) Form a conclusion
2) Find one shred of evidence you are right.
3) Hence you are right.

Not exactly the scientific method.

Cody kinda plays in a 4-3 base D and has 1 gap responsibility.

Spears plays in a 3-4 base on the strong side and has 2 gap responsibility.

Apples and oranges.

You want a fair comparison? Compare what Spears is doing vs Ty Warren who plays the exact same position in the exact same system.

Keep in mind Spears missed the bulk of training camp.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

Way too early to tell for any rookie. Plus, he's learning the system and it appears the injury hurt the learning process.

I think if he continues a good work ethic, stays healthy, and listens to Parcells, he could be a Richard Seymour type. So far, I'm pretty content with what I see.

Rich.....

 

[Yakuza Rich]

You want a fair comparison? Compare what Spears is doing vs Ty Warren who plays the exact same position in the exact same system.

Keep in mind Spears missed the bulk of training camp.

Also, Warren played a lot of 3-4 in college. Spears played some, but not enough to say so.


Rich........

 

[AbeBeta]

Sean Rogers DT(81 tackles 3 sks as a rookie) and Dwight Freeney DE (41 tackles 13 sks as a rookie) were great as rookies. Freeney was Defensive rookie of the year and Rogers was in the running.

Actually Detroit was all over Rogers about his weight during his 2ns off-season -- that's when he was looking like a bust

Freeney had a seriously great last 8-9 games but early on he did little early on -- and eveyone in Indy was freaking.

 

[joseephuss]

ALL OF YOU ARE JUMPING THE GUN!!! CHILL!!!

He missed all of training camp??? He missed all but 1 game of pre-season and he looked pretty darn good then!!

You all will be surprised and soon lament this thread later in his pro bowl days.

I agree. Those injuries set back his development and I still think he is doing some nice things. Much better than Coleman.

I think Canty's production is better because he is the better player. He is also more familiar with the 3-4. If Canty doesn't suffer an injury his last year in college and then also injure his eye, he goes 1st round ahead of Spears. I won't hold it against Spears that he isn't doing what Canty is doing. Both look to be getting better and should be anchors for the defensive line for years.

 

[InmanRoshi]

I agree. Those injuries set back his development and I still think he is doing some nice things. Much better than Coleman.

I think Canty's production is better because he is the better player. He is also more familiar with the 3-4. If Canty doesn't suffer an injury his last year in college and then also injure his eye, he goes 1st round ahead of Spears. I won't hold it against Spears that he isn't doing what Canty is doing. Both look to be getting better and should be anchors for the defensive line for years.

Also, Canty is playing on the right side, where there is less likelihood of a tight end providing help.

I agree with the people above who said you can't compare 3-4 and 4-3 players. I would probably rate Richard Seymour as the most dominating all around defensive lineman in the NFL over the past 5 years, and his yearly sack totals are 3, 5.5, 8, 5, 2.

 

[Seven]

All of these guys, Spears, Canty, Ware, etc., will hit the weights with the team this year with the hopes of adding muscle mass and tweaking their physical presence for better production at their respective positions. Also include some professional conditioning with diets and workout routines. They'll also have a season under their belts with how this whole thing works. I've been impressed with the level of their play for the most part. The other things that they're missing is nothing more than growing pains. Expect it.

All in all we've got a boatload of rookies/new faces on defense and we're still pretty damn good. I was expecting chaos out there. We saw it the first three games but they settled down, got to work and are looking pretty respectable. Opposing teams do not practice lightly for the Dallas Cowboys anymore. It's been our pleasure to see the defense continually improving game to game player to player. I was not expecitng such a good product so soon.

 

[Silverstar]

Obviously? Based on agility and strength test results?


If the intelligent people that get paid to scout/draft players thought like you no one would of taken a Jerry Rice or Michael Irvin in the first round.


There's not a d*** thing "Obvious" about workout numbers.

Based on agility, strength AND production in college. I mentioned all three, but you conveniently left out the last one to make your point.

Ever heard of the NFL Combine or College Pro Days...a waste of time right?

I suppose scouts are just going through the motions during those tests. I wonder why they get angry when a player decides not to participate too...go figure. After all, there's nothing obvious to learn about a players agility, strength, character or health at one of those things.

 

[peppersquad]

OMG its WAAAAAAAAAY to early to tell.


Hes a 3-4 End. Hes not a 3-4 OLB, or a 4-3 End. Hes not goin to put up the #s other DL man put up.


He'll be fine, and a Cowboy for the next decade.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

I have to ask, because I just haven't been impressed with Spears all year. So far, he has a 1/2 sack along with 19 tackles and he's been starting since the 8th game I believe. His 1/2 sack, came in the 2nd quarter against the Deadskins two months ago. I know he was a highly touted DL coming out, but some also predicted him to be a boom or bust player as well. In comparison, Chris Canty has 2 1/2 sacks, 24 tackles and simply creates more havoc than Spears. After 11 games, I wonder if Spears will ever become a dominant type player or even show flashes of it for that matter. If we hadn't picked Spears, I wonder how much farther he would have dropped?

Here are some facts:

Marcus Spears (6-4 298) was the 20th player selected in the 2005 draft. He signed a 5-year, $9.35 million contract with $6.7 million guaranteed in options and roster bonus. Basically, Spears was drafted for his size and ability to play in a 4-3 or 3-4 and possibly slide over to DT in certain situations.

College stats...Spears closed out his senior campaign with 49 tackles (32 solo), nine sacks, 17 stops for losses, six pressures, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, an interception and two pass deflections. Through 48 games as a Tiger, he started 38 times. Spears closed out his career with 152 tackles (101 solo), 19 sacks for minus-131 yards, 34½ stops for losses of 180 yards, 47 quarterback pressures, two forced fumbles, four interceptions, 10 pass deflections and a blocked kick. Only Jarvis Green (20, 1998-2001), Gabe Northern (21, 1992-95), Ron Sancho (23, 1985-88) and Rydell Malancon (25, 1980-83) had more sacks in a career at Louisiana State. His 34½ stops behind the line of scrimmage rank seventh on LSU's all-time list.

Agility tests...5.03 in the 40-yard dash … 405-pound bench press … 530-pound squat … 308-pound power clean … 34-inch vertical jump … 9-foot-1 broad jump … 33 3/8-inch arm length … 10 3/8-inch hands … Right-handed.


Not bad right?

Ok, let's look at another DL we could have traded down for and picked up a 3rd or 4th rounder in the process.

Shaun Cody (6-4 292) is about the same size as Spears and was the 37th player drafted. He was drafted by the Lions, who traded up 4 spots with the Titans to get him. Cody was originally recruited by USC as a defensive end, spent four years starting at defensive tackle with Mike Patterson. He displayed the speed and agility to be dominant at getting to the quarterback when working off the edge. Right now, Cody is playing behind Shaun Rogers at right DT and has 1 1/2 sacks and 24 tackles so far.

College stats...Cody closed out his senior campaign with a career-high 45 tackles (29 solo), 10 sacks, 13 stops for losses, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and three pass deflections while serving as team captain for the USC Trojans. Cody closed out his career with 130 tackles (89 solo), 21 sacks for minus-162 yards, 31½ stops for losses of 185 yards, four fumble recoveries, three forced fumbles, five pass deflections and five blocked field goals.

Agility tests...4.95 in the 40-yard dash … 425-pound bench press … Bench presses 225 pounds 24 times … 550-pound squat … 326-pound power clean … 31½-inch vertical jump … 31¾-inch arms … 10-inch hands.


Obviously, Cody was the next best DL after Ware, Pollack, James and Spears. Cody was definitely the stronger and faster DL, since he practically matched Spears' production playing on the inside. If Spears doesn't "get it" as Parcells puts it, not trading down for Cody and that extra pick will loom ever larger as time goes by.

JMO



:starspin

our pass-rush is one of the best in the league, our run defense is one of the best in the league

Spears is starting

you do the math

although Spears isn't setting the world on fire, he's playing his part, and you can't really judge 3-4 DEs by their sack total, and besides, he has 3 years to prove whether the Cowboys made the right, or wrong, decision picking him

 

[dargonking999]

He is a 3-4 DE, and the last i hear DE dont get stats, but i hear his name about a good 5-6 times a games, chasing a QB outbounds, or in the backfield getting pressure on the QB, in the backfield re routhing runners, and making QB step up into more DL, so i dont know exactly what your talking about. Maybe i'm just hearing things i dont know, i am crazy

 

[Wolverine]

Spears only problem is that Mike Zimmer is the DC. That is also Wares problem to. You see Shaun Merriman really taking off and looking like a great pick.

I think Speak and Ware were great picks to. But like anyone on defense that comes here they become average players under Zimmer and his bend dont break defense.

I am sure that if Ware and Spears were in San Diego and we got Merriman we would be going geez it looks like Merriman is a bust while Ware and Spears would be tearin it up in SD.

Zimmer is holding back Spears and Ware. When we get a REAL DC in here who knows how to use talent like them right then we will see what freaks Ware and Spears are. Their talent is off the charts.