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Daryl Johnston: Why the Cowboys' defense will be better than people are giving it credit for
By SportsDayDFW.com

Former Dallas Cowboys fullback and current NFL analyst Daryl "Moose" Johnston joined SportsDay's Evan Grant and Barry Horn on the "Ballzy" podcast this week to discuss the highlights of Dallas' second preseason game, among other team-related topics.

Why the 'D' will be better than many expect

Johnston: "I think this defense is gonna be better than people give it credit for. I really do. They're gonna struggle in the beginning of the year -- with DeMarcus [Lawrence] out -- with pressure off the edge, but Rod Marinelli will find some way to manufacture that. He'll have some things that he'll use those first four, five weeks of the season that won't be a part of the defense later on, but he has that uncanny ability to get the most out of guys, even more than they think they're willing to give or that they're able to do, and I think he's gonna do that. I think he's got those kind of guys up front. I think inside- I think Dallas is gonna be very, very strong inside at the tackle position and I think the back end is gonna be really strong. And [defending] the passing game is pressure and coverage combined, and so in the beginning of the season -- those first four weeks, those first five weeks -- maybe the pressure's not there. I think that those guys on the back end are gonna even that out.

"I think Byron Jones being locked in at safety, I think Morris Claiborne has been healthy -- I think he's gonna have the type of year that Dallas has been waiting for since they moved up to grab him at No. 6 [in the 2012 draft] -- Brandon Carr's got a lot to prove, Orlando Scandrick's got a lot to prove, and I think Orlando brings that attitude, he's got that swagger. That was missing last year."
 

ThoughtExperiment

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I think Morris Claiborne has been healthy -- I think he's gonna have the type of year that Dallas has been waiting for since they moved up to grab him at No. 6 [in the 2012 draft]

Not believing in Claiborne until it happens in real games with him not getting PI calls. Last year they talked about what a great camp he was having, but in truth he was grabby and couldn't get away with that in games.

And then of course he has to stay healthy.
 

Doomsday

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The Moose pumping sunshine. And with what, Marinelli magic? It's laughable.
 

dbair1967

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Not believing in Claiborne until it happens in real games with him not getting PI calls. Last year they talked about what a great camp he was having, but in truth he was grabby and couldn't get away with that in games.

And then of course he has to stay healthy.

Its encouraging what we've seen so far and he does look like he is in great shape, much stronger, bigger etc etc

But like you, I want to see proof in real games and then he has to stay healthy, something he has never done
 

wyvrn

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I don't agree with the hyperbole, but in principle I think Moose is right in two areas. I expect FS and CB to be stronger this year, and I think the DT's FINALLY have some serious depth, if not top end All-Pro type of talent.

Claiborne showed signs of maturation last year; no reason to expect we won't get at least a very capable CB year from him. Byron Jones should solidify FS if he is even half as good as they think he is. Scandrick is back, enough said there.

This isn't the early 90's Cowboys defense, but barring injuries it should be noticeably better against both the run and pass.
 

Doomsday

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Claiborne showed signs of maturation last year; no reason to expect we won't get at least a very capable CB year from him.
Other than, it's never happened before?
 

wyvrn

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What's never happened before? Him being a decent CB? Other than injury, he had a solid year last year. Not spectacular, but solid.
 

Sheik

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Moose has mashed potatoes for a brain after opening all those holes for Emmitt.

He gets a pass.
 

Sheik

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off topic, but since I mentioned Emmitt's name, I think it's weird that he was my favorite football player ever. Then, one day I heard him speak, and I instantly hated him.

I think it was on one of his ESPN gigs. Said something like "Rice of patches" when he clearly was trying to say "right of passage".

If it weren't for football, he'd be drinking a bottle of thunderbird outside of a 7-Eleven begging for change.
 

Doomsday

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What's never happened before? Him being a decent CB? Other than injury, he had a solid year last year. Not spectacular, but solid.
Solid at getting torched.

But, your meter was "very capable." Not just "decent." He's neither and never will be. Because he is just flat out stupid. A dumb player.
 

wyvrn

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Agree on the football intelligence factor. But I still think he has the potential to play in the league as a productive player, though I am not sure I ever see him being a Probowl guy.
 

Sheik

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I don't like Claiborne. I think he's dumber than the shit I just flushed.

But, he did do a pretty decent job last year before getting hurt imo. He seemed to be playing with more confidence. Do I think he's ever going to be the best prospect we've seen since Deion? Uh, no. I think after he's released next year he'll be a mid level #2 CB for a team going forward.

He's just not good enough to validate his draft position. He'll never give you the value that you drafted him to be, so he'll never be an acceptable player in this organization. He will probably be a welcomed addition to a team that can use a decent corner to play opposite their #1 guy and do a pretty decent job for a few million a year.
 

Doomsday

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I still think he has the potential
So do a couple thousand other guys. Of course the moron has potential, he was highly valued in the draft and was a lock to be a 1st rounder. That's far, far off your original meter.
But, he did do a pretty decent job last year before getting hurt imo. He seemed to be playing with more confidence.
He was shit.
 

Doomsday

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Agree on the football intelligence factor.
Not football intelligence, just intelligence. He scored like, a 9 on his Wonderlic, and also the IQ test result shown below - only one out of that draft class to fail it.

iqtester.jpg
 
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Claiborne showed signs of maturation last year; no reason to expect we won't get at least a very capable CB year from him.

Provide ANY proof of these assertions. Claiborne was horrible in all categories of DB. There was no maturation at all. it was yet another shitty season for the biggest draft bust in Cowboys history. There is every reason to expect Claiborne to turn in yet another shitty season because that is all he has ever done.

Again, please provide any proof at all that Claiborne did not suck last year. You don't get to just state that as if it is fact when the numbers say the exact opposite.
 
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What's never happened before? Him being a decent CB? Other than injury, he had a solid year last year. Not spectacular, but solid.

No... it was a shitty season by all measures. He was ranked in the 80s and 90s by two different organizations that rank players at each position. There are 64 starting CBs in the NFL. Since Claiborne ranked far outside of this that means that most teams' nickel backs were better than Claiborne.

Claiborne in 2015: ZERO interceptions, ZERO forced fumbles, ZERO fumbles recovered, 5countem5 passes defensed (which averaged to less than one per two games for Mo), and ZERO sacks.

So tell me please where Mo was "solid" because the numbers show that he sucked big time. We are talking liability on the field type of suckage. And if you think these numbers point to "solid" then you and I have been watching different sports.
 
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Defense gonna be better because Marinelli just makes people better and a bunch of bad players "have something to prove."

k....
 

SixisBetter

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He'll never give you the value that you drafted him to be,

We could have not traded, picked up a bag of rocks off the side of the highway and been ahead in productivity and intelligence.
Plus we'd have a bag of rocks to throw at Jones every time he went near the war room.
 
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