Dallas Cowboys: How much the pass rush affects the secondary
The fight wages on when talking about the Dallas Cowboys defense. Some point to the secondary as the issue and others point to the pass rush.
I love to read the DallasCowboys.com fan forums from time to time, they provide an idea of what fans are thinking and talking about. However, it also provides a ton of humor as to how the conversations flow.
Recently, there has been a conversation about Byron Jones being the only “starter” on the Dallas Cowboys defensive backfield as said by Rob Phillips on his podcast. I won’t even get into Orlando Scandrick being left off, however, fans immediately started off the conversation on how Jones is terrible and needs to be replaced.
Wait, what?
Byron Jones is actually a really good safety
Immediately, fans will point to his lapse against the Packers as proof. Of course, someone pointed to Pro Football Focus’s ratings that have Jones actually in the top of the league at safety. Then someone pointed to the Dallas run defense and said it raised the scores and it was not a good picture of how bad Jones is.
Well, let’s take a look for a second at what isn’t being discussed. First, the Cowboys actually did have a pretty good secondary in ratings last year. Now, they didn’t get a ton of takeaways, which many people use as a benchmark for a secondary. This is a little bit of a misnomer, there were obvious drops, knockdowns, and poor throws which do add to an effective secondary.
It is like saying since Jeff Heath got some interceptions he is a good safety. He had better hands than others, but his coverage skills are severely lacking.
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Jones, falls into a classic problem that many players get hit with. Football isn’t a one man sport, but they get judged like it is. If you watch the Dallas Cowboys’ secondary cover, they are actually pretty solid, for a little while.
Where the problems for the secondary lie is in the the lack of pass rush.
The missing component on the Dallas Cowboys has not been a solid secondary or linebacker corps, it has been the lack of a consistent pass rush.
No corner or safety can cover a player when a quarterback has as much time as they want to throw a pass. If you look at Heath’s interceptions, he was in the right place at the right time when the quarterback made a bad throw.
Some of the conversation can be the secondary getting beat on first steps, biting on play fakes, getting caught looking into the backfield, and being out muscled.
But, let’s stop and think for a second. If we watch any secondary that is considered good, it all starts with quarterback play on the other side of the ball. If a quarterback has to make quick reads and try to force a pass due to pressure, it allows a secondary to make a jump on the ball, grab an errant throw, or at the very least, be close enough for a contested play.
The missing component on the Dallas Cowboys has not been a solid secondary or linebacker corps, it has been the lack of a consistent pass rush.
How often do you get that sinking feeling late in games knowing that the defense won’t be able to pressure the opposing quarterback? If youre like me it’s pretty often.
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We scream at the TV when someone like Jones or Claiborne would get beat after five to seven seconds of play has elapsed. We then all scream to just stop them, and get mad that whoever gave up a crucial play on third and long. Guess what? Nobody could hold up that long.
If Taco Charlton is a double digit sack guy and the rest of the line can take a step forward, the secondary will instantly improve. We will all hear about how it showed that players like Carr, Claiborne, etc. were just bad players. But, in reality it all started up front, the pass rush.
Now, I’m not saying that Byron Jones is all-world. I am saying he is far better than many seem to be thinking he is.
A secondary could have Deon Sanders, Ed Reed, AND (insert secondary player of choice), and they would struggle holding up without a pass rush. It is a team sport, one in which the individuals make up the larger picture.
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For the discussion of, “well, the pass rush would be better if the secondary could cover.” Let’s explain that for a second. Statistically found here, a strong pass rush actually only accounts for about a 5% bump in interception rate. What actually affects it the most is the passer accuracy.
But, I would also suggest time per play and release time should be factored and the writer does not include this into the overall picture. So, that is only partially correct. Again, it is a team sport and you really can’t have one without the other.
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Basically, the Dallas Cowboys have to do better at getting to the quarterback. However, they also have to do better at covering wide receivers longer. Hopefully, the rookies they drafted can be a second better than who was released, and the pass rush can be a second faster at getting to the quarterback. If this happens, then we all might see an improved secondary to include Byron Jones.