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Breaking Down the ‘Boys: Monte Kiffin, Cowboys’ defense should force offenses to run
By Jonathan Bales
jonathan@thedctimes.com
3:00 pm on June 29, 2013 |
Jonathan Bales is a special contributor to SportsDayDFW.com. He’s the founder of The DC Times and writes for DallasCowboys.com and the New York Times. He’s also the author of Fantasy Football for Smart People. He can be reached at jonathan@thedctimes.com.
You can follow him @TheCowboysTimes.
One of the reasons I like the hiring of Monte Kiffin is that it means the Cowboys will probably “go small” on defense, i.e. play lighter, quicker defenders in order to stop the pass. We’ve already seen that simply as the result of the switch to the 4-3 defense, which more or less substitutes a five-technique defensive end for an outside linebacker.
We can see the results in the total weight of the projected starters this year. At a total weight of 2,655 pounds, 2013’s projected starters will weigh in around 80 pounds lighter than those who started the 2012 season.
Since the ‘Boys will already be one of the lighter defenses in the NFL, it will be interesting to see how Kiffin uses his sub-packages. Namely, I want to see how often the Cowboys use their base personnel—all three linebackers—when offenses line up with “11” personnel. If you recall, “11” personnel is one running back, one tight end, and three receivers.
In 2012, the Cowboys ranked in the middle of the pack in terms of employing base personnel versus “11.” Per Football Outsiders, Dallas used their base package on 7.4 percent of snaps against “11.” That might sound low, but it was actually the 16th-highest in the NFL.
With three good coverage linebackers on the field, Kiffin might be tempted to stay in base quite often, even against three-receiver sets. I think the Cowboys should work to continue to decrease their base usage, however. Even against an offense’s base personnel (whether it’s “12” or “21”), the Cowboys should try to entice teams to run the football. In most situations, running is a sub-optimal strategy to passing. If the ‘Boys can get offenses to continually run the ball against them on first-and-10, that’s advantageous. Even with undersized personnel, it should benefit the defense to do everything they can to get the ball out of the hands of opposing quarterbacks.
By Jonathan Bales
jonathan@thedctimes.com
3:00 pm on June 29, 2013 |
Jonathan Bales is a special contributor to SportsDayDFW.com. He’s the founder of The DC Times and writes for DallasCowboys.com and the New York Times. He’s also the author of Fantasy Football for Smart People. He can be reached at jonathan@thedctimes.com.
You can follow him @TheCowboysTimes.
One of the reasons I like the hiring of Monte Kiffin is that it means the Cowboys will probably “go small” on defense, i.e. play lighter, quicker defenders in order to stop the pass. We’ve already seen that simply as the result of the switch to the 4-3 defense, which more or less substitutes a five-technique defensive end for an outside linebacker.
We can see the results in the total weight of the projected starters this year. At a total weight of 2,655 pounds, 2013’s projected starters will weigh in around 80 pounds lighter than those who started the 2012 season.
Since the ‘Boys will already be one of the lighter defenses in the NFL, it will be interesting to see how Kiffin uses his sub-packages. Namely, I want to see how often the Cowboys use their base personnel—all three linebackers—when offenses line up with “11” personnel. If you recall, “11” personnel is one running back, one tight end, and three receivers.
In 2012, the Cowboys ranked in the middle of the pack in terms of employing base personnel versus “11.” Per Football Outsiders, Dallas used their base package on 7.4 percent of snaps against “11.” That might sound low, but it was actually the 16th-highest in the NFL.
With three good coverage linebackers on the field, Kiffin might be tempted to stay in base quite often, even against three-receiver sets. I think the Cowboys should work to continue to decrease their base usage, however. Even against an offense’s base personnel (whether it’s “12” or “21”), the Cowboys should try to entice teams to run the football. In most situations, running is a sub-optimal strategy to passing. If the ‘Boys can get offenses to continually run the ball against them on first-and-10, that’s advantageous. Even with undersized personnel, it should benefit the defense to do everything they can to get the ball out of the hands of opposing quarterbacks.
