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Bob Sturm: Cowboys' DeMarco Murray losing key work on pass protection
By SportsDayDFW.com
Published 06 August 2011 03:49 PM
Bob Sturm, the co-host of BaDD Radio weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. and host of the Cowboys pregame show on SportsRadio 1310-AM The Ticket in Dallas, answered readers' questions about the Cowboys in a live chat Friday. Some excerpts:
How do you see the Cowboys running game panning out this season?
DeMarco Murray had a chance to be the starter by Oct 1, but his hamstring is not helping. There is so much to learn for a RB in this league, and he had no April, May, or June to learn due to the lockout, and he has yet to get on the field in camp. I think now he is a candidate to come along very slowly. The biggest issue is pass protection/blitz pick up, and that cannot be rushed. If he gets it wrong, Romo breaks a collarbone. Not worth gambling.
Seeing as how the Cowboys have no plans to change their defensive personnel, what kind of bar would you set for the defense for this year?
I believe in Rob Ryan. I believe in a pressure scheme to cover up issues. The questions are going to be whether Ryan can get his chaotic scheme to play in a hurry and whether his front 7 can stop the run in early downs. If they can be easily run against, then the blitzing will not matter. That is why Spears and Coleman were important to this 2-gap system.
Was releasing Leonard Davis a mistake?
I think Montrae Holland versus Davis is a push. But, to ask if Holland is going to be good is a different conversation. I think Davis was horrid in the run game last year and Holland will actually help there. But, this is a stop gap. I think Arkin is the plan for guard within the next 12 months. It is just a matter of how quickly. Holland is mediocre, but he should be OK for the short term.
Is there any cornerback worth bringing in since it looks like we are thin in that position?
There are, but we have to wonder what sort of cash the Cowboys have laying around. I think they believe that Scandrick and Jenkins are fine. McCann and Ball are behind them, and then they have a couple of rookies. They aren't panicking yet, but that doesn't mean they are good there.
Do you anticipate a clash between Jason Garrett and Rob Ryan?
No. I don't. Ryan and Garrett are going to be fine. Coaching is not a concern of mine this year.
Does the coaching staff really think Terence Newman and Jenkins are good corners like they say?
I think they believe Jenkins can be great. And I don't think they are crazy there. He can be vey good. But, he has also proven he can be very bad, too. Ryan has his work cut out there. Newman is 32 years old and appears fragile. I think corner is always a concern in this league. And the more teams go to "11" personnel, the more you need 3 top tier corners. Surely something to monitor.
Are you concerned that Rob Ryan has a tendency to save his more creative defensive fronts for the better teams and plays fairly vanilla against bad teams?
If you are referencing 2010 in Cleveland, let's explain. Against NE and NO, he had very exotic approaches. But, against Cinn it was more vanilla. To me, that is an obvious coaching strategy. If you think you can be in a close game against a bad team, you don't take unnecessary risks. But, if you are playing Brady or Brees, you realize that you cant compete straight-up. So, you gamble. I see no issue with this approach.
Is there any hazing of rookies?
I haven't seen it. But, it might be because half the rookie class is hurt.
I believe in the Jimmy Johnson philosophy of building inside out. Do you think Jerry is finally coming around to this?
As in drafting and growing your talent over free agency? That is clearly the way to build in the NFL. But, it takes time. And it starts by getting your drafts right. I am not sure that problem has been addressed y
By SportsDayDFW.com
Published 06 August 2011 03:49 PM
Bob Sturm, the co-host of BaDD Radio weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. and host of the Cowboys pregame show on SportsRadio 1310-AM The Ticket in Dallas, answered readers' questions about the Cowboys in a live chat Friday. Some excerpts:
How do you see the Cowboys running game panning out this season?
DeMarco Murray had a chance to be the starter by Oct 1, but his hamstring is not helping. There is so much to learn for a RB in this league, and he had no April, May, or June to learn due to the lockout, and he has yet to get on the field in camp. I think now he is a candidate to come along very slowly. The biggest issue is pass protection/blitz pick up, and that cannot be rushed. If he gets it wrong, Romo breaks a collarbone. Not worth gambling.
Seeing as how the Cowboys have no plans to change their defensive personnel, what kind of bar would you set for the defense for this year?
I believe in Rob Ryan. I believe in a pressure scheme to cover up issues. The questions are going to be whether Ryan can get his chaotic scheme to play in a hurry and whether his front 7 can stop the run in early downs. If they can be easily run against, then the blitzing will not matter. That is why Spears and Coleman were important to this 2-gap system.
Was releasing Leonard Davis a mistake?
I think Montrae Holland versus Davis is a push. But, to ask if Holland is going to be good is a different conversation. I think Davis was horrid in the run game last year and Holland will actually help there. But, this is a stop gap. I think Arkin is the plan for guard within the next 12 months. It is just a matter of how quickly. Holland is mediocre, but he should be OK for the short term.
Is there any cornerback worth bringing in since it looks like we are thin in that position?
There are, but we have to wonder what sort of cash the Cowboys have laying around. I think they believe that Scandrick and Jenkins are fine. McCann and Ball are behind them, and then they have a couple of rookies. They aren't panicking yet, but that doesn't mean they are good there.
Do you anticipate a clash between Jason Garrett and Rob Ryan?
No. I don't. Ryan and Garrett are going to be fine. Coaching is not a concern of mine this year.
Does the coaching staff really think Terence Newman and Jenkins are good corners like they say?
I think they believe Jenkins can be great. And I don't think they are crazy there. He can be vey good. But, he has also proven he can be very bad, too. Ryan has his work cut out there. Newman is 32 years old and appears fragile. I think corner is always a concern in this league. And the more teams go to "11" personnel, the more you need 3 top tier corners. Surely something to monitor.
Are you concerned that Rob Ryan has a tendency to save his more creative defensive fronts for the better teams and plays fairly vanilla against bad teams?
If you are referencing 2010 in Cleveland, let's explain. Against NE and NO, he had very exotic approaches. But, against Cinn it was more vanilla. To me, that is an obvious coaching strategy. If you think you can be in a close game against a bad team, you don't take unnecessary risks. But, if you are playing Brady or Brees, you realize that you cant compete straight-up. So, you gamble. I see no issue with this approach.
Is there any hazing of rookies?
I haven't seen it. But, it might be because half the rookie class is hurt.
I believe in the Jimmy Johnson philosophy of building inside out. Do you think Jerry is finally coming around to this?
As in drafting and growing your talent over free agency? That is clearly the way to build in the NFL. But, it takes time. And it starts by getting your drafts right. I am not sure that problem has been addressed y