In order for the Dallas Cowboys to legitimately contend in 2014 a few things (to put it mildly) must happen in their favor. Earlier in Part 1 we looked at the offensive side of things. As you can expect, most of it hinges on QB Tony Romo.
Here in part 2 we will briefly look at the questions surrounding the defense.
Aug 7, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Henry Melton (69) congratulates defensive end Martez Wilson (56) after the Cowboys recovered a fumble during the first quarter against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
The Pass Rush
The pass rush is bad. Really bad. Even the most optimistic of Cowboys fans have a tough time believing in the Cowboys ability to create pressure.
Gone are Jason Hatcher and DeMarcus Ware. They have been replaced with promising but questionable alternatives Henry Melton and DeMarcus Lawrence. D-Law is out and Melton is just getting on the field.
To expect either player to even approach the kind of production of the men they are replacing is ridiculous in 2014. Long term it was smart to let Hatch and Ware go but the pain will be felt in the short term.
Don’t think blitzing will help out either. Rod Marinelli will call more blitzes in 2014 than his mentor Monte Kiffin did, but he’s still very conservative compared to the rest of the league. Blitzing will happen from time to time but it won’t be a staple.
Even if it was, what makes anyone think it would work?
Dec 2, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys nose tackle Josh Brent (92) on the sidelines against the Philadelphia Eagles at Cowboys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Run-Stopping Ability
The Cowboys have done nothing to address the run-stopping issues of this defense. That’s probably why they are giving Josh Brent a chance to come back. Brent was never a very good playmaker but he was surprisingly acceptable as a run-stopping 1-tech tackle.
The 1-tech tackle is something the Cowboys severly lack and the reason they cut more athletic players and kept bums like Nick Hayden (who technically can do neither but that’s another story).
The LB’s Must Improve Drastically
The LB corps was top-heavy with Sean Lee. With Sean Lee gone for the season they are bottom-heavy. As in … deadweight. The situation is so bad they even had to make last-minute adjustments just to make sure Bruce Carter isn’t in position to screw up too much.
With Justin Durant, Bruce Carter, and Rolando McClain slotted to start in Dallas, the Cowboys face an uphill battle in the front 7. Scouts have been concerned all training camp and progression was slight.
The D-line can’t rush the passer or stop the run and will need help from the linebackers to do both. That’s a pretty tough task for a unit who struggles in their own assignments as it is.
For the Cowboys to be contenders in 2014 the LB corps will need to drastically improve overnight. They will have to help the D-line execute and still handle their own assignments. This is a very tall task.
Aug 23, 2014; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins running back Knowshon Moreno (28) runs as Dallas Cowboys defensive end Martez Wilson (56) and cornerback Brandon Carr (39) defend in the first quarter of the game at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports
The Secondary Needs a Miracle
Brandon Carr has been bad ever since his arrival in Dallas. Even when he was with Kansas City he wasn’t much better than mediocre. Which explains why they made no attempt at resigning him despite having the funds to do so.
Morris Claiborne is always hurt, never practices, and has been a colossal bust his entire pro career. The only way for that to change is practice and subsequently gain confidence. He missed out on practice for the 3rd straight training camp and looks to be the exact same player as previous seasons.
The coaching staff is concerned about both starting CBs and are financially prepared to let them go after this season. Combined with recent comments about both players, the coaching staff isn’t exactly offering ringing endorsements on the players.
Barry Church is a good in-the-box safety but the Cowboys lack a true centerfielder that Rod Marinelli likes to use in his single high safety formations. J.J. Wilcox has potential but the development has been slow and Wilcox is better suited to hit rather than cover.
Nov 24, 2013; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz (80) makes a catch against Dallas Cowboys strong safety J.J. Wilcox (27) during the game at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
The Cowboys placed all their eggs in one basket with Wilcox and will have to see what happens. The bright side is his physical ability and age suggest the sky is the limit with this kid. The bad news is he will have to develop at a massively rapid pace in order to be a reliable playmaker deep. The Cowboys may have had unrealistic expectations for Wilcox this year
With the front 7 dedicated to stopping the run, rushing the passer, and covering shallow zone, the Cowboys need the secondary to hold their own. That’s something none of the DB’s have ever been able to do this far in their careers so it may be a little far-fetched to expect it to magically happen now…without practice…or without a pass-rush as support.
Special Teams
I haven’t seen, scouted, or read much reliable analysis of the Cowboys special teams unit in training camp. The only thing I’ve seen has been in the preseason games – which isn’t very good. I do believe the roster has been addressed and the player we see playing special teams on Sunday will be prepared and able to execute assignments.
It’s still wishful thinking to say the Cowboys will even figure in the top-half of the league in Special Teams but unlike everything else previously discussed – it’s at least realistically possible.
The NFC East Could All Suck
This is what’s really working in the Cowboys favor. Every team in the NFC East has issues and could completely suck, but I think some of it has been overblown recently.
No team has stripped down quite as far as the Cowboys. No team has quite as many questions as the Cowboys.
The Cowboys are certainly in the hunt but they are the ones that have to answer the most questions. Most agree that any team here could realistically finish first or last and it wouldn’t come as a surprise. That’s what happens when teams have so many questions.
The real problem at hand is even if everything miraculously works out in the Cowboy’s favor, does winning a terrible division make them a realistic contender?
The good teams in the NFL have minimal questions (obstacles) while the bad teams have many. The Cowboys have more questions and obstacles than any Cowboy’s team in the past decade plus. Miracles happen but logic tells us to brace ourselves.