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Spagnola: Back End Can Encourage Dogs
Mickey Spagnola
DallasCowboys.com Columnist
IRVING, Texas – This argument is the quintessential chicken or the egg deal, you know which comes first:
The chicken producing the egg or . . . .
The egg producing the chicken.
This then centers on producing pressure against opposing quarterbacks, something the Cowboys weren't consistent enough at last year despite finishing seventh in the NFL with 42 sacks, but remember just seven of those coming in the final four games, of which they won just one:
Does the pressure produced on quarterbacks by the front seven make the secondary better or . . . .
Can a better secondary increase the pressure applied on opposing quarterbacks?
Well, darn glad you asked.
As you might remember, my recommendation heading into the draft, especially after upgrading the corner position with the addition of Brandon Carr in free agency, was to do whatever it took to increase the pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Meaning, get you an interior defensive lineman or another outside linebacker with pass-rush ability.
And you know what, that's what the Cowboys' initial intention was. In fact, I was told months before the draft that when the Cowboys' first-round selection was read by the commish, chances were you would hear, "And with the 14th pick, the Dallas Cowboys select defensive lineman . . . ."
Yep, fill in the blank.
Well, guess what? That's exactly what would have happened if the opportunity didn't present itself to move from the 14th spot in the first round to No. 6, via the trade with the St. Louis Rams. Because had the Cowboys not traded up that high, even they admitted their pick would have been 3-4 defensive end Michael Blockers of LSU if they had stayed put. Or maybe for a much smaller price they would have considered jumping two spots to select Mississippi State defensive end Fletcher Cox.
But how do you resist the relative inexpensive price of moving up high enough to grab the second-highest rated player – not defensive player, mind you – but the second-highest rated player on your entire draft board who just so happens to play one of the three most impactful positions in the NFL?
Cornerback, and the Cowboys officials in the war room couldn't get the pick of LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne in fast enough nor contain how ecstatic they were when Roger Goodell revealed their selection to one and all. Some collection of corners they now have, with Carr, Claiborne, Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick.
Fine, but oh that pass rush, remember? Yep, Tyrone Crawford, a defensive end with inside pass-rush capability, was indeed added, but not until the third round. Yep, the Cowboys also added Kyle Wilber, a 3-4 outside linebacker in the fourth, noted for his pass-rush ability. And let's not minimize retaining Anthony Spencer with the franchise tag, the Cowboys figuring not only was he better than any of the available 3-4 outside linebackers in the draft but also better than any of the 3-4 outside linebackers available in veteran free agency.
But again, that's it, almost the same crew as last year, and how many times did we point out that in those two games against the Giants, Eli Manning, while completing 51 of 80 passes for 743 yards, five touchdowns and intercepted just once – a robust 133.5 QB rating – was sacked a grand total of twice, and DeMarcus Ware accounted for both in the final game of the season. That's it, one sack every 40 attempts.
No wonder the Giants scored 37 and 31 points, a total of 68 in two games, and not-so coincidently won both and the NFC East over the Cowboys by one game.
Makes you want to scream, Where's the pressure, doesn't it?
And we were told when he arrived Rob Ryan was the mad chemist of defensive coordinators, that he would concoct all these exotic personnel groups and, much like his father, bring pressure from every which way to significantly improve a Cowboys pass rush that had lost its potency in each of the previous two seasons after posting 59 in 2008.
Not so much.
Or, and let's be fair since the Cowboys sack total did improve from a four-year low of 35 in 2010 to the 42 of last year, did Ryan lose his nerve, calling off the dogs in favor of putting more resources into coverage? Did he come to the realization his secondary couldn't hold up in a lot of man coverages if his called blitzes didn't get there?
After all, Ryan's defensive philosophy is dependent on his corners being able to hold up in a whole lot of man coverage, and since they weren't last year, especially when teams spread the Cowboys defense out with three receivers and a pass-catching tight or four receivers, he was forced to play his safeties back in no-man's land and drop his linebackers into deep zones to minimize the vulnerability. That meant too many three- and four-man rushes.
Far-fetched?
Me thinks not.
Neither, evidently, does Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, because when recently asked about the current Cowboys secondary, he said, "We know we're sounder. We got better and more personnel back there than we had last year. That should allow us to pin our ears back a little more in our pressure, rushing (the quarterback)."
See, there, was then Ryan too, uh, chicken, or just plain logical?
Now then, for example, let's take that final game against the Giants when Manning completed 24 of 33 passes for 343 yards and three touchdowns to defeat the Cowboys, 31-14. By my count, the Giants called 42 pass plays. Four times those calls were neutralized by penalties against the Cowboys – one interference and three off-sides. So now we're down to 38 official drop backs.
On those 38 plays, the Cowboys rushed Eli with four men or less 31 times. Manning completed 23 of 27 passes, including his three touchdown passes, was sacked twice and ran out of the pocket for positive yards two times.
Then, only seven times did the Cowboys bring pressure, meaning five or more guys rushing the quarterback. On those seven plays, Manning completed just one of six passes and was forced out of the pocket just once, running for positive yards. Nice right, but not near enough negative results for some reason.
So we'll see if having four quality corners convinces Ryan to reestablish his swashbuckling play-calling ways. We'll see if the pressure he brings up front increases with more confidence in his corners' ability to hold up in man coverage. We'll see if improved coverage convinces him to rush his other outside linebacker, Anthony Spencer, far more times than he did last season. We'll see if improved man-to-man coverage encourages the shrinking big guy to engage his safeties closer to the line of scrimmage.
And who knows, if the coverage improves, giving guys more time to get to the quarterback, then maybe the sacks will increase. There was good reason last year during that training camp practice Ryan was seen on the phone recruiting free-agent Nnamdi Asomugha. He could hold up in man coverage.
"If there is one thing in common about what we've done, if you look at the overall skills of those players we've brought in, in the secondary, they know how to go to the ball," Jones said. "They really think the ball is theirs and not the receiver's, and that's important if you are bringing the pressure."
So which is it, pressure provides better coverage?
Or better coverage provides increased faith in calling the dogs and thus increased pressure?
Stay tuned, we are fixin' to find out.
Then after that maybe we can delve into the mysterious issue of why in the world a chicken would ever want to cross the road.
Mickey Spagnola
DallasCowboys.com Columnist
IRVING, Texas – This argument is the quintessential chicken or the egg deal, you know which comes first:
The chicken producing the egg or . . . .
The egg producing the chicken.
This then centers on producing pressure against opposing quarterbacks, something the Cowboys weren't consistent enough at last year despite finishing seventh in the NFL with 42 sacks, but remember just seven of those coming in the final four games, of which they won just one:
Does the pressure produced on quarterbacks by the front seven make the secondary better or . . . .
Can a better secondary increase the pressure applied on opposing quarterbacks?
Well, darn glad you asked.
As you might remember, my recommendation heading into the draft, especially after upgrading the corner position with the addition of Brandon Carr in free agency, was to do whatever it took to increase the pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Meaning, get you an interior defensive lineman or another outside linebacker with pass-rush ability.
And you know what, that's what the Cowboys' initial intention was. In fact, I was told months before the draft that when the Cowboys' first-round selection was read by the commish, chances were you would hear, "And with the 14th pick, the Dallas Cowboys select defensive lineman . . . ."
Yep, fill in the blank.
Well, guess what? That's exactly what would have happened if the opportunity didn't present itself to move from the 14th spot in the first round to No. 6, via the trade with the St. Louis Rams. Because had the Cowboys not traded up that high, even they admitted their pick would have been 3-4 defensive end Michael Blockers of LSU if they had stayed put. Or maybe for a much smaller price they would have considered jumping two spots to select Mississippi State defensive end Fletcher Cox.
But how do you resist the relative inexpensive price of moving up high enough to grab the second-highest rated player – not defensive player, mind you – but the second-highest rated player on your entire draft board who just so happens to play one of the three most impactful positions in the NFL?
Cornerback, and the Cowboys officials in the war room couldn't get the pick of LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne in fast enough nor contain how ecstatic they were when Roger Goodell revealed their selection to one and all. Some collection of corners they now have, with Carr, Claiborne, Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick.
Fine, but oh that pass rush, remember? Yep, Tyrone Crawford, a defensive end with inside pass-rush capability, was indeed added, but not until the third round. Yep, the Cowboys also added Kyle Wilber, a 3-4 outside linebacker in the fourth, noted for his pass-rush ability. And let's not minimize retaining Anthony Spencer with the franchise tag, the Cowboys figuring not only was he better than any of the available 3-4 outside linebackers in the draft but also better than any of the 3-4 outside linebackers available in veteran free agency.
But again, that's it, almost the same crew as last year, and how many times did we point out that in those two games against the Giants, Eli Manning, while completing 51 of 80 passes for 743 yards, five touchdowns and intercepted just once – a robust 133.5 QB rating – was sacked a grand total of twice, and DeMarcus Ware accounted for both in the final game of the season. That's it, one sack every 40 attempts.
No wonder the Giants scored 37 and 31 points, a total of 68 in two games, and not-so coincidently won both and the NFC East over the Cowboys by one game.
Makes you want to scream, Where's the pressure, doesn't it?
And we were told when he arrived Rob Ryan was the mad chemist of defensive coordinators, that he would concoct all these exotic personnel groups and, much like his father, bring pressure from every which way to significantly improve a Cowboys pass rush that had lost its potency in each of the previous two seasons after posting 59 in 2008.
Not so much.
Or, and let's be fair since the Cowboys sack total did improve from a four-year low of 35 in 2010 to the 42 of last year, did Ryan lose his nerve, calling off the dogs in favor of putting more resources into coverage? Did he come to the realization his secondary couldn't hold up in a lot of man coverages if his called blitzes didn't get there?
After all, Ryan's defensive philosophy is dependent on his corners being able to hold up in a whole lot of man coverage, and since they weren't last year, especially when teams spread the Cowboys defense out with three receivers and a pass-catching tight or four receivers, he was forced to play his safeties back in no-man's land and drop his linebackers into deep zones to minimize the vulnerability. That meant too many three- and four-man rushes.
Far-fetched?
Me thinks not.
Neither, evidently, does Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, because when recently asked about the current Cowboys secondary, he said, "We know we're sounder. We got better and more personnel back there than we had last year. That should allow us to pin our ears back a little more in our pressure, rushing (the quarterback)."
See, there, was then Ryan too, uh, chicken, or just plain logical?
Now then, for example, let's take that final game against the Giants when Manning completed 24 of 33 passes for 343 yards and three touchdowns to defeat the Cowboys, 31-14. By my count, the Giants called 42 pass plays. Four times those calls were neutralized by penalties against the Cowboys – one interference and three off-sides. So now we're down to 38 official drop backs.
On those 38 plays, the Cowboys rushed Eli with four men or less 31 times. Manning completed 23 of 27 passes, including his three touchdown passes, was sacked twice and ran out of the pocket for positive yards two times.
Then, only seven times did the Cowboys bring pressure, meaning five or more guys rushing the quarterback. On those seven plays, Manning completed just one of six passes and was forced out of the pocket just once, running for positive yards. Nice right, but not near enough negative results for some reason.
So we'll see if having four quality corners convinces Ryan to reestablish his swashbuckling play-calling ways. We'll see if the pressure he brings up front increases with more confidence in his corners' ability to hold up in man coverage. We'll see if improved coverage convinces him to rush his other outside linebacker, Anthony Spencer, far more times than he did last season. We'll see if improved man-to-man coverage encourages the shrinking big guy to engage his safeties closer to the line of scrimmage.
And who knows, if the coverage improves, giving guys more time to get to the quarterback, then maybe the sacks will increase. There was good reason last year during that training camp practice Ryan was seen on the phone recruiting free-agent Nnamdi Asomugha. He could hold up in man coverage.
"If there is one thing in common about what we've done, if you look at the overall skills of those players we've brought in, in the secondary, they know how to go to the ball," Jones said. "They really think the ball is theirs and not the receiver's, and that's important if you are bringing the pressure."
So which is it, pressure provides better coverage?
Or better coverage provides increased faith in calling the dogs and thus increased pressure?
Stay tuned, we are fixin' to find out.
Then after that maybe we can delve into the mysterious issue of why in the world a chicken would ever want to cross the road.
