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What a 4th quarter. In addition to the bolded below, he also got his hand in to mess up the Winston pass that ended up picked off by Jeff Heath
Enigmatic D-lineman David Irving ready to shed his 'inconsistent' label
Jean-Jacques Taylor
ESPN Staff Writer
FRISCO, Texas -- The Enigma made his second appearance of the season Sunday night in the Dallas Cowboys' 12th win of the season.
He had two sacks, two tackles for loss, five quarterback hits and a pass deflection in the fourth quarter of the Cowboys' 26-20 win.
He was unblockable, just like he was in October, and he was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week after forcing three fumbles in 19 snaps.
David Irving helped the Cowboys close out Sunday night's win by blocking a pass by Jameis Winston during the Buccaneers' final drive. Andrew Dieb/Icon Sportswire
Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli's task is to get the 6-foot-7, 284-pound David Irving to shed the label of being an enigma and become a star.
He has the skills to do it.
“It’s probably just a confidence thing,” Irving said. "When I feel something, the whole team feels it. When you get guys on the same level, things happen.
"I never even thought that I would be in the NFL. It's amazing that I'm here.”
Despite his height, Irving is flexible enough to stay low and maintain the leverage required to play defensive tackle.
He has first-step quickness and power to give tackles problems, and he can bend just enough to get around tackles and get to the quarterback.
The issue for Irving, as it is for most young players, is consistency.
The former undrafted free agent plucked off the Kansas City Chiefs' practice squad last season wants to be more consistent.
Who wouldn't?
Given the choice of being an NFL star or a journeyman, every player would choose stardom.
“We have to help him find consistency. As a coaching staff, we have to make sure we keep the standard high for everything he does throughout the week and in his preparation,” coach Jason Garrett said. “Typically, when we do that, he shows up in the game. Rod Marinelli does this as well as any coach I’ve been around in my life, and [defensive tackles coach] Leon Lett does it equally well.
“As he matures and understands the importance of it, he’s in an environment that’s going to help him get there. It’s about his technique, his approach, his intensity, and that’s not unique to David -- it’s everybody on our football team.”
See, there’s not one aspect to becoming a more consistent player. It's about mastering the game's details each and every day, whether it's paying attention in meetings, perfecting technique during practice or taking advantage of every practice repetition.
Against Tampa Bay, Irving found himself in the zone. We often talk about the experience as it relates to basketball players who can't miss a jumper or quarterbacks who can't miss a throw.
Rarely does it refer to defensive linemen.
“It’s quiet. You’re focused. You’re not thinking about the play that’s called or whether you’re on time,” Irving said. “It’s more me and him.
"At that point, once I’m past him, then it opens up and it gets loud again, and you try to finish the play.”
The Cowboys needed every play Irving made in the fourth quarter to beat Tampa.
The Bucs had five possessions in the fourth quarter. They managed minus-3 yards on 17 fourth-quarter plays and had two turnovers.
Dallas took a six-point lead with 3:03 left. Irving sacked Jameis Winston on first down, essentially wrecking the Bucs' ensuing drive.
On the Bucs final possession, he was equally disruptive, collapsing the pocket that led to a sack by Maliek Collins on second down and knocking down a pass at the line of scrimmage on third down.
The drive ended with an interception by Orlando Scandrick. It was the Cowboys' fourth turnover of the game.
“I feel like I was getting off the ball good, and that’s how I got him the first time,” Irving said. “And then he started jumping back so fast that I put my hands on him and he got off-balance. Then he started pinching inside to counter that move that I went outside.
“I guess I got in his head just a little bit.”
After the game, all any of the Cowboys' defensive players wanted to talk about was Irving's dynamic performance.
This team hasn't received the expected production from Tyrone Crawford and DeMarcus Lawrence for a variety of reasons, from injury to ineffectiveness. Irving is the only defensive lineman who has shown he can dominate a game, although defensive tackles Terrell McClain and Collins have had stretches of playing well.
Marinelli must figure out how to get The Enigma to replicate his performance. The playoffs arrive soon.
Enigmatic D-lineman David Irving ready to shed his 'inconsistent' label
Jean-Jacques Taylor
ESPN Staff Writer
FRISCO, Texas -- The Enigma made his second appearance of the season Sunday night in the Dallas Cowboys' 12th win of the season.
He had two sacks, two tackles for loss, five quarterback hits and a pass deflection in the fourth quarter of the Cowboys' 26-20 win.
He was unblockable, just like he was in October, and he was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week after forcing three fumbles in 19 snaps.
David Irving helped the Cowboys close out Sunday night's win by blocking a pass by Jameis Winston during the Buccaneers' final drive. Andrew Dieb/Icon Sportswire
Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli's task is to get the 6-foot-7, 284-pound David Irving to shed the label of being an enigma and become a star.
He has the skills to do it.
“It’s probably just a confidence thing,” Irving said. "When I feel something, the whole team feels it. When you get guys on the same level, things happen.
"I never even thought that I would be in the NFL. It's amazing that I'm here.”
Despite his height, Irving is flexible enough to stay low and maintain the leverage required to play defensive tackle.
He has first-step quickness and power to give tackles problems, and he can bend just enough to get around tackles and get to the quarterback.
The issue for Irving, as it is for most young players, is consistency.
The former undrafted free agent plucked off the Kansas City Chiefs' practice squad last season wants to be more consistent.
Who wouldn't?
Given the choice of being an NFL star or a journeyman, every player would choose stardom.
“We have to help him find consistency. As a coaching staff, we have to make sure we keep the standard high for everything he does throughout the week and in his preparation,” coach Jason Garrett said. “Typically, when we do that, he shows up in the game. Rod Marinelli does this as well as any coach I’ve been around in my life, and [defensive tackles coach] Leon Lett does it equally well.
“As he matures and understands the importance of it, he’s in an environment that’s going to help him get there. It’s about his technique, his approach, his intensity, and that’s not unique to David -- it’s everybody on our football team.”
See, there’s not one aspect to becoming a more consistent player. It's about mastering the game's details each and every day, whether it's paying attention in meetings, perfecting technique during practice or taking advantage of every practice repetition.
Against Tampa Bay, Irving found himself in the zone. We often talk about the experience as it relates to basketball players who can't miss a jumper or quarterbacks who can't miss a throw.
Rarely does it refer to defensive linemen.
“It’s quiet. You’re focused. You’re not thinking about the play that’s called or whether you’re on time,” Irving said. “It’s more me and him.
"At that point, once I’m past him, then it opens up and it gets loud again, and you try to finish the play.”
The Cowboys needed every play Irving made in the fourth quarter to beat Tampa.
The Bucs had five possessions in the fourth quarter. They managed minus-3 yards on 17 fourth-quarter plays and had two turnovers.
Dallas took a six-point lead with 3:03 left. Irving sacked Jameis Winston on first down, essentially wrecking the Bucs' ensuing drive.
On the Bucs final possession, he was equally disruptive, collapsing the pocket that led to a sack by Maliek Collins on second down and knocking down a pass at the line of scrimmage on third down.
The drive ended with an interception by Orlando Scandrick. It was the Cowboys' fourth turnover of the game.
“I feel like I was getting off the ball good, and that’s how I got him the first time,” Irving said. “And then he started jumping back so fast that I put my hands on him and he got off-balance. Then he started pinching inside to counter that move that I went outside.
“I guess I got in his head just a little bit.”
After the game, all any of the Cowboys' defensive players wanted to talk about was Irving's dynamic performance.
This team hasn't received the expected production from Tyrone Crawford and DeMarcus Lawrence for a variety of reasons, from injury to ineffectiveness. Irving is the only defensive lineman who has shown he can dominate a game, although defensive tackles Terrell McClain and Collins have had stretches of playing well.
Marinelli must figure out how to get The Enigma to replicate his performance. The playoffs arrive soon.
