Cowboys: Contention Will Return With Great Defense
The Dallas Cowboys have made big investments on the offensive side of the ball, but only similar focus on defense will make this franchise great again.
Still shy of Super Bowl 50 during an early offseason for the Dallas Cowboys, questions are being asked as to what went wrong during a 4-12 campaign that was the worst since owner and general manager Jerry Jones bought the fledgling franchise in early 1989.
Included amongst the answers are key injuries to starting quarterback Tony Romo and wide receiver Dez Bryant. Losing niche running back Lance Dunbar played a greater role in the backup quarterback disaster of 2015 than many realize.
Still, a defense that was unable to create much in the way of turnovers or other big plays was the definition of Dallas’ inability to win more than a single game without Romo. This is not the description of most Super Bowl contenders.
You think that the mediocre New York Giants of 2007 and 2011 were able to beat an offensive juggernaut like the New England Patriots – twice – because of quarterback Eli Manning?
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C’mon.
Names like Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora, Mathias Kiwanuka, Justin Tuck and Jason Pierre-Paul littered the defense of both of those Giants teams that were able to beat an AFC representative that easily outperformed them during the regular season. Even though none of those players picked up sacks of Pats ‘deflator’ Tom Brady, their teammates did – three in each of those Super Bowl upsets, one causing a fumble.
The Cowboys, even during the days of DeMarcus Ware, never really had a platoon of rushers to compliment his abilities or the attention opponents had to place on his immense talent. Poorly-positioned Jay Ratliff added some heat at times, but the run defense generally suffered with such a small nose guard in the middle of a three-man line. Defensive end Greg Ellis, a convert from 4-3 defensive end to 3-4 outside linebacker for a couple of years, was paired with Ware too late and outside linebacker Anthony Spencer never met expectations once he took over for Ellis.
Dallas’ recent drafts have been better than they were last decade, when Jones often made trendy choices that weren’t likely to man a major position of importance – this is whenever the Cowboys had a first round pick, mind you.
Nonetheless, we haven’t seen the kind of attention placed on the defensive side of the ball that was obvious back in 2005, the year former head coach Bill Parcells made the full commitment to the 3-4 alignment following two previous seasons of riding the Cowboys’ historic 4-3 principles. That was the draft that brought first-round selections Ware and defensive end Marcus Spears, Ratliff and lineman Chris Canty – all were tailor made for the 3-4 at the NFL level.
Well, Dallas ditched the 3-4 following former defensive coordinator Rob Ryan’s last year with the Cowboys in 2012, but we’ve yet to see a real statement draft for this defense.
Mel Kiper of ESPN has just released his first mock draft (subscription required) of the offseason and he’s got Dallas’ first selection well-pegged. DeForest Buckner of Oregon looks like exactly what the Cowboys need in terms of a young, volatile player to either play outside on the ege or move inside next to defensive tackle Tyrone Crawford. At 6’7” and 300 pounds, this young prospect can play anywhere. Adding Buckner would certainly ease the loss of defensive end Greg Hardy should he end up playing elsewhere.
Then again, what if the Cowboys end up with Buckner and Hardy to shift around upfront?
This is the kind of dynamic Marinelli needs at his disposal. He needs not just more bodies for his rotation, but he needs better players.
I recently wrote about why the Cowboys need to keep Hardy for at least one more run to determine what kind of player he can be in Dallas, especially now that he’s been back in the game for a full season after basically taking 2014 off.
Again, you can’t have too many pass rushers, and right now the Cowboys just don’t have enough.
There’s further upgrades that could be made at linebacker, cornerback and also safety.
The Cowboys need an infusion of youth and talent on the defensive side of the ball, because right now they’re not bad – but not bad doesn’t win you football games when your offense ends up in the ditch for a while.
There’s an old saying that goes, “Offense wins games, defense wins championships.”
Don’t believe me?
Dallas Morning News football guru Rick Gosselin tells it like it is in pointing out the ridiculousness of NFL teams scurrying about trying to find the next great offensive mind – or over-rated beneficiary of a multi-Pro Bowl quarterback that’s not coming along with him to a new team.
"Seven of the last 10 coaches to take teams to Super Bowls had defensive backgrounds. Fifteen of the last 24 coaches to take teams to Super Bowls had defensive backgrounds."
See?
And let’s go back even further.
Remember that string 13 consecutive Super Bowls won by the NFC from 1984 through 1997? In fact, it would have been 16 in-a-row if not for a huge upset over the heavily favored Washington Redskins by the Oakland Raiders in 1983.
While he AFC was busy drafting quarterbacks like John Elway, Dan Marino, Jim Kelly, Bernie Kosar and Boomer Esiason, the NFC was grabbing up quarterback killers like Lawrence Taylor, Reggie White, Pat Swilling, Richard Dent and Charles Haley.
The results were undeniable. That run of Super Bowl wins wasn’t like these modern-day versions where games are generally won late in the fourth quarter – or by a kicker if you’re the Pats.
No, these games were often blowouts that were essentially over by halftime.
The Cowboys know this full and well. Two of Dallas’ five Super Bowl wins came primarily as a result of a combined 17 turnovers – that’s not a typo. Doomsday forced eight against the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XII and then a comedic nine against the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVII a generation later.
It wouldn’t take me long to be getting serious about defensive personnel during this offseason. That means players that fit the system today and are ready to play tomorrow, so to speak. No more projects or patience with guys trying their hand at new positions or recovering from major injuries in college.
Next: Cowboys: No.4 Pick In The Draft Comes Down To Three Positions
Dallas Cowboys history shows remarkable results when America’s Team has both a great offense and a top-shelf defense.
With a healthy Romo, they have the offense.
Now they need the defense.