Archer: With experience, Tyrone Crawford expects to grow

Cotton

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With experience, Tyrone Crawford expects to grow
March, 17, 2015

By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com

IRVING, Texas -- Soon -- maybe Tuesday when he gets back from Baltimore where he attended the Ed Block Courage Award gala -- Tyrone Crawford will go to Valley Ranch and continue his preparation for the 2015 Dallas Cowboys' season.

Notice I didn't say begin his preparation. I said continue. It began in February, not long after the Cowboys' 2014 season ended in the divisional round to the Green Bay Packers.

Crawford was named the Cowboys' Ed Block Courage Award winner because of his comeback from a torn Achilles that cost him his 2013 season. During the 2014 season, he started all 15 games he played and was credited with 37 tackles by the coaches to go with three sacks, four tackles for loss, 29 quarterback pressures, a pass deflection and a forced fumble.

And he didn't really know what he was doing.

He spent last offseason playing left defensive end. He went through most of training camp at defensive end. It wasn't until the early part of the season that the coaches moved him inside to defensive tackle at the three-technique position.

In Rod Marinelli's 4-3 scheme, the three technique is the key spot. That guy is the driver of the bus. Think of Warren Sapp in his heyday.

"It was kind of tough because I made the switch [late] but I knew what Coach Marinelli likes in his three technique," Crawford said. "And with us it's all the same: get off the ball and everything will work its way out. It was tough because I didn't get to practice it as much as I wanted to."

Crawford enters 2015 knowing where he will play. He is working with a martial arts expert to help with using his hands. In addition to training at Valley Ranch, he is doing extra work with a trainer outside the building.

Because he is new to the spot, he does not have many bad habits to correct, but he has a lot to learn.

"Just play recognition," Crawford said. "It's a lot quicker down here. There's different hand techniques and just playing the game different ways on certain types of runs. I'm trying to do all of that right now before I go into training camp."

Last year the Cowboys hoped Crawford would be a cornerstone player defensively coming off the injury. They enter the 2015 season knowing he will be a cornerstone player with the ability to get a lot better the more accustomed he gets to the position.

"I think last year showed me I can step up and take a bigger role on the defensive line and I guess I need to do that this year," Crawford said. "I know that. I know what we need out of me and I'm excited to go do that and make things happen for our D line. Alongside my other teammates on the D-line, we're going to ball out this year."
 

Cowboysrock55

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No question, I really expect his sack numbers to grow this year. The guy disrupted a ton of plays last year, even if the sack numbers didn't demonstrate it.
 

ravidubey

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No question, I really expect his sack numbers to grow this year. The guy disrupted a ton of plays last year, even if the sack numbers didn't demonstrate it.
It impressed me how he kept producing despite the utter lack of help from anywhere up front.

RB and 1-technique are the two biggest needs on this team. Everyone else gets better with those two impact additions.

I'd be ecstatic if the draft went:

Pass Rusher
RB
1 Technique/NT
Random Defense
Random Offense/STs

With zero reaches.
 

22cowboysfan22

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Having Hardy on the outside (even if is suspended to start the season) should really help Crawford. Pressure off the edge will force QBs to step up in the pocket and lead to more sacks for our interior DL.
 

p1_

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Who the hell is Nick Hayden?
 
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