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Taylor: Emergence of Alan Ball gives Cowboy 'D' element it has lacked
11:53 PM CDT on Monday, August 23, 2010
Column by JEAN-JACQUES TAYLOR / The Dallas Morning News | jjtaylor@dallasnews.com
Jean-Jacques Taylor
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OXNARD, Calif. – A couple of years ago, Ken Hamlin was a below-average safety. Last season, he was worse than that.
Actually, Hamlin set the bar so low for Alan Ball – the only new starter on the Cowboys' defense – that an average performance this season would qualify as a significant upgrade.
But the Cowboys expect much more than average from the former seventh-round pick.
[Click image for a larger version] MICHAEL AINSWORTH/DMN
MICHAEL AINSWORTH/DMN
Alan Ball seems to be making a smooth transition from cornerback to safety.
Rarely has a player with only three career starts in three years received such love from an organization, but that's the way it is with Ball because there was no discernable drop-off after an ankle injury forced Hamlin out of the lineup.
The compliments flow from the owner and general manager Jerry Jones. And head coach and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. And the secondary coaches, Dave Campo and Brett Maxie.
They love Ball's speed. His range. His intelligence. His practice habits. And his instincts.
Ball's development becomes even more important now that strong safety Gerald Sensabaugh could miss the opener Sept. 12 against Washington with a separated shoulder he suffered against San Diego.
So there’s a chance second-year safety Mike Hamlin will make his first start against the Redskins.
It's not as easy as you might think to shift from cornerback to safety because the view of the game changes. Safeties must see the whole field, while cornerbacks worry only about a portion of the field. The route combinations by the receivers are also different for safeties than cornerbacks.
The game is also played differently, because safety is a much more physical position than cornerback. Not every player can successfully make the shift.
"Ball has made the transition pretty well," Phillips said. "I think part of it is his athletic ability, and he's so much faster than most free safeties that he can overlap plays, and if someone breaks out of there, he can catch him."
Obviously, he's not perfect. The Cowboys wish he were bigger – Ball is 6-1, 195 pounds – because one of a safety's primary jobs is run support.
It's not that Ball won't come up and make a strong tackle, but if he has to do it too much, the Cowboys wonder whether his body will withstand the rigors of a 16-game season.
Again, he couldn't do any worse than Hamlin.
In the last two seasons, Hamlin wasn't anything remotely close to the ferocious hitter he was in Seattle. The best thing he did was make sure everyone was lined up properly in the secondary and make the necessary coverage adjustments based on the offense's formation and motion.
But it's important for the free safety to make plays, especially since he doesn't have the same run support responsibilities as the strong safety.
Hamlin did that in his first season, finishing with five interceptions and 15 pass deflections. He made the Pro Bowl and earned a six-year, $38 million deal from the Cowboys.
Then he quit making plays.
In his last 28 games with the Cowboys, Hamlin intercepted only one pass and forced one fumble. He deflected just four passes; Ball had three deflections last season.
The Cowboys expect Ball, who spent his college career and his first two seasons in the NFL playing cornerback, to make considerably more plays. Only four teams had fewer than Dallas' 11 interceptions, a total the Cowboys think will improve with Ball in the lineup.
This team has spent the entire off-season preaching the importance of turnovers, in part, because it needs to give the offense better field position, which should result in more points.
The Cowboys believe Ball's combination of speed, range and instincts will position him to intercept passes. Or at least knock them down.
Anything along that line would have to be considered an improvement over the previous free safety.
• • •
11:53 PM CDT on Monday, August 23, 2010
Column by JEAN-JACQUES TAYLOR / The Dallas Morning News | jjtaylor@dallasnews.com
Jean-Jacques Taylor
Archive | Bio | E-mail
OXNARD, Calif. – A couple of years ago, Ken Hamlin was a below-average safety. Last season, he was worse than that.
Actually, Hamlin set the bar so low for Alan Ball – the only new starter on the Cowboys' defense – that an average performance this season would qualify as a significant upgrade.
But the Cowboys expect much more than average from the former seventh-round pick.
[Click image for a larger version] MICHAEL AINSWORTH/DMN
MICHAEL AINSWORTH/DMN
Alan Ball seems to be making a smooth transition from cornerback to safety.
Rarely has a player with only three career starts in three years received such love from an organization, but that's the way it is with Ball because there was no discernable drop-off after an ankle injury forced Hamlin out of the lineup.
The compliments flow from the owner and general manager Jerry Jones. And head coach and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. And the secondary coaches, Dave Campo and Brett Maxie.
They love Ball's speed. His range. His intelligence. His practice habits. And his instincts.
Ball's development becomes even more important now that strong safety Gerald Sensabaugh could miss the opener Sept. 12 against Washington with a separated shoulder he suffered against San Diego.
So there’s a chance second-year safety Mike Hamlin will make his first start against the Redskins.
It's not as easy as you might think to shift from cornerback to safety because the view of the game changes. Safeties must see the whole field, while cornerbacks worry only about a portion of the field. The route combinations by the receivers are also different for safeties than cornerbacks.
The game is also played differently, because safety is a much more physical position than cornerback. Not every player can successfully make the shift.
"Ball has made the transition pretty well," Phillips said. "I think part of it is his athletic ability, and he's so much faster than most free safeties that he can overlap plays, and if someone breaks out of there, he can catch him."
Obviously, he's not perfect. The Cowboys wish he were bigger – Ball is 6-1, 195 pounds – because one of a safety's primary jobs is run support.
It's not that Ball won't come up and make a strong tackle, but if he has to do it too much, the Cowboys wonder whether his body will withstand the rigors of a 16-game season.
Again, he couldn't do any worse than Hamlin.
In the last two seasons, Hamlin wasn't anything remotely close to the ferocious hitter he was in Seattle. The best thing he did was make sure everyone was lined up properly in the secondary and make the necessary coverage adjustments based on the offense's formation and motion.
But it's important for the free safety to make plays, especially since he doesn't have the same run support responsibilities as the strong safety.
Hamlin did that in his first season, finishing with five interceptions and 15 pass deflections. He made the Pro Bowl and earned a six-year, $38 million deal from the Cowboys.
Then he quit making plays.
In his last 28 games with the Cowboys, Hamlin intercepted only one pass and forced one fumble. He deflected just four passes; Ball had three deflections last season.
The Cowboys expect Ball, who spent his college career and his first two seasons in the NFL playing cornerback, to make considerably more plays. Only four teams had fewer than Dallas' 11 interceptions, a total the Cowboys think will improve with Ball in the lineup.
This team has spent the entire off-season preaching the importance of turnovers, in part, because it needs to give the offense better field position, which should result in more points.
The Cowboys believe Ball's combination of speed, range and instincts will position him to intercept passes. Or at least knock them down.
Anything along that line would have to be considered an improvement over the previous free safety.
• • •