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Will things be tougher for Cowboys' D in 2015?
January, 28, 2015
By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com
IRVING, Texas -- Conventional wisdom holds that the Dallas Cowboys will be better defensively in 2015 mostly because it will be the second year under defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli.
The players will know more about what he does and doesn't want. He will have a better idea about what the players can and cannot do.
But the cast of characters could look vastly different. Of the starters who were in the base defense entering the divisional round of the playoffs against the Green Bay Packers, four are set to be unrestricted free agents: George Selvie, Nick Hayden, Bruce Carter and Rolando McClain. A fifth, Brandon Carr, could be a salary-cap casualty. Two key backups, Anthony Spencer (unrestricted) and Sterling Moore (restricted), could hit the market at varying levels.
The Cowboys will welcome back Sean Lee from a torn ACL, and Morris Claiborne could be back as well from a torn patellar tendon. There should be growth by younger players, like DeMarcus Lawrence, as well as additions through the draft and free agency that could help absorb losses from a defense that fared better than expected.
The Cowboys finished 19th in yards allowed per game (355.1) and 15th in points allowed per game (22) in 2014.
But there is another factor to consider in how much the defense can improve: the level of opponents.
Using yards and points as the indicator, the Cowboys faced just five offenses that finished in the top half of the league in yards and six in the top half in points in 2014. While predicting success based on past results can be flawed, in 2015 the Cowboys will face 13 offenses that finished in the top half in yards and 10 that finished in the top half in points last season.
During his three-year run as coordinator with the Chicago Bears, the numbers in Marinelli’s second year slipped.
In 2010, the Bears were ninth in yards allowed per game (314.3) and fourth in points allowed per game (17.9). In 2011, they were 17th in yards (350.4) and 14th in points (21.3). In 2012, they rebounded in yards allowed (315.6, which was fifth-best) and points allowed (17.3, third-best).
In 2010, they played seven offenses that finished in the top half in yards and eight in the top half in points. In 2011, they faced 10 offenses that finished in the top half in yards and points. In 2012, there were nine offenses in the top half in yards and eight in the top half in points.
The Cowboys’ 2015 schedule features Seattle, Green Bay, Atlanta, New England, New Orleans and Miami out of the division. Those offenses are much better than the units the Cowboys faced in 2014 (San Francisco, Tennessee, St. Louis, Jacksonville and Arizona).
The one constant, however, in a Marinelli defense has been the ability to take the ball away.
In 2010, the Bears were tied for third in turnovers forced with 35. They had 31 in 2011 (tied for fifth), and they led the NFL in takeaways in 2012 with 44.
The Cowboys were able to take it away 31 times in 2014, ranked second in the league.
“There are a lot of different ways to measure your defense and a lot of people get caught up in yards and all the different ways that people use numbers in this game, but taking the ball away impacts the game,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said when the season ended. “It impacts the game like none other . . . You look at the correlation between takeaways and points scored and it’s a pretty direct correlation and has been for a long time. And points scored relates to winning.”
January, 28, 2015
By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com
IRVING, Texas -- Conventional wisdom holds that the Dallas Cowboys will be better defensively in 2015 mostly because it will be the second year under defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli.
The players will know more about what he does and doesn't want. He will have a better idea about what the players can and cannot do.
But the cast of characters could look vastly different. Of the starters who were in the base defense entering the divisional round of the playoffs against the Green Bay Packers, four are set to be unrestricted free agents: George Selvie, Nick Hayden, Bruce Carter and Rolando McClain. A fifth, Brandon Carr, could be a salary-cap casualty. Two key backups, Anthony Spencer (unrestricted) and Sterling Moore (restricted), could hit the market at varying levels.
The Cowboys will welcome back Sean Lee from a torn ACL, and Morris Claiborne could be back as well from a torn patellar tendon. There should be growth by younger players, like DeMarcus Lawrence, as well as additions through the draft and free agency that could help absorb losses from a defense that fared better than expected.
The Cowboys finished 19th in yards allowed per game (355.1) and 15th in points allowed per game (22) in 2014.
But there is another factor to consider in how much the defense can improve: the level of opponents.
Using yards and points as the indicator, the Cowboys faced just five offenses that finished in the top half of the league in yards and six in the top half in points in 2014. While predicting success based on past results can be flawed, in 2015 the Cowboys will face 13 offenses that finished in the top half in yards and 10 that finished in the top half in points last season.
During his three-year run as coordinator with the Chicago Bears, the numbers in Marinelli’s second year slipped.
In 2010, the Bears were ninth in yards allowed per game (314.3) and fourth in points allowed per game (17.9). In 2011, they were 17th in yards (350.4) and 14th in points (21.3). In 2012, they rebounded in yards allowed (315.6, which was fifth-best) and points allowed (17.3, third-best).
In 2010, they played seven offenses that finished in the top half in yards and eight in the top half in points. In 2011, they faced 10 offenses that finished in the top half in yards and points. In 2012, there were nine offenses in the top half in yards and eight in the top half in points.
The Cowboys’ 2015 schedule features Seattle, Green Bay, Atlanta, New England, New Orleans and Miami out of the division. Those offenses are much better than the units the Cowboys faced in 2014 (San Francisco, Tennessee, St. Louis, Jacksonville and Arizona).
The one constant, however, in a Marinelli defense has been the ability to take the ball away.
In 2010, the Bears were tied for third in turnovers forced with 35. They had 31 in 2011 (tied for fifth), and they led the NFL in takeaways in 2012 with 44.
The Cowboys were able to take it away 31 times in 2014, ranked second in the league.
“There are a lot of different ways to measure your defense and a lot of people get caught up in yards and all the different ways that people use numbers in this game, but taking the ball away impacts the game,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said when the season ended. “It impacts the game like none other . . . You look at the correlation between takeaways and points scored and it’s a pretty direct correlation and has been for a long time. And points scored relates to winning.”