The only hope for this defense is that it looks much better with the multiple starters that we didn't see during preseason. How you don't try and get a guy like Melton some game time to shake the rust off is beyond me.
In Jerry Jones' mind
* Henry Melton is in 2012 form
* Anthony Spencer and Jeremy Mincey are in 2011 form, providing the pass rush they so desperately need
* DeMarcus Lawrence will be in 2015 form and set NFL records for sacks in a half season
* Terrell McClain and George Selvie (again) give the team "I'm glad to be a Cowboy" surges.
* Josh Brent doesn't get suspended, is somehow in the football shape he was in just before his accident, and starts at 1-technique
* Okoye recovers perfectly from the mysterious disease that no one understands that puts him in a coma when his body undergoes physical trauma... like being hit
* Ronaldo McClain wants to play football. Really this time. Oh yeah, and he dominates because he was drafted in the 1st round.
* Justin Durant's best season. Ever.
* Kyle Wilber goes from barely playing to a pro-bowl quality Sam LB.
* Hitchens and Smith rotate to form one fine Will LB. The future is set.
* Barry Church gets faster, grows stronger, and finds it in his heart to learn to hit, cover, and intercept the ball
* JJ Wilcox shows the world why he was taken in the 3rd round and becomes the team's enforcer
* Morris fucking Claiborne stops turning in random performances and proves he's deserving of a top 10 CB
* Scandrick comes back in 2013 form after his suspension, and Terrance Mitchell and Sterling Moore perform well in his stead
* Sean Lee returns to Mike LB in December (wink, you get that new injury exemption, doncha know /mickey) just in time to bring this gusher home.
It would take many football miracles for any one of these things to happen.
The reality is your 2014 Dallas defense is:
Solid: Durant and Carr
Still-recovering and rusty: Crawford and Melton
Hilariously green and over-drafted: Hitchens, Wilber, Smith
Untalented: Hayden, Church, Terrell McClain, Mitchell, and Heath
Over-the-hill: Mincey
Underachieving and Spineless: Claiborne, Ronaldo McClain, and JJ Wilcox
Half a Season Late: Scandrick, Lawrence, Spencer
Week one there will be no pressure on Kaepernick. There will be no one to stop Frank Gore and Carlos Hyde. Vernon Davis is a matchup nightmare. Even Michael Crabtree might look good.
Offensively Dallas needs to run, run, and run to keep this hot mess of a defense off the field, but Garrett/Linehan will call 70 pass plays citing a need to "outscore" San Francisco to win. We are as dysfunctional an organization as there is.