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Brandon George
Dallasnews.com
ARLINGTON — The Cowboys’ much-maligned defense can’t be blamed for Sunday’s loss to San Francisco.
Cowboys defensive players certainly didn’t have a lot to pound their chest about in the first half, but overall, it wasn’t that bad.
San Francisco finished with 316 total yards and had only two legit touchdown drives.
A Cowboys’ defense that ranked last in the league in 2013 would have done cartwheels for those kinds of results last season.
Remember, this was a unit that allowed 478 yards or more six times last season, including giving up more than 620 yards twice in a three-game span.
And the 11 defensive starters who took the field Sunday didn’t include DeMarcus Ware, Jason Hatcher or Sean Lee. (Incidentally, Hatcher had 11/2 sacks for Denver, and Hatcher had one for Washington.)
“Defensively, I saw us do some things out there that if we hadn’t gotten ourselves in such a hole, we might have had a more rewarding experience,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. “The way the game went, it took a lot of air out of us to have three turnovers.”
San Francisco started the game by returning a DeMarco Murray fumble 35 yards for a touchdown. Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo had three interceptions, one of which was returned to the 2-yard line. San Francisco scored on the next play.
Before the Cowboys’ defense could really settle in, the 49ers were way ahead. San Francisco ran only four plays in the first quarter but held a 21-3 lead.
San Francisco’s Colin Kaepernick had a near-perfect 156.6 quarterback rating in the first half. He completed 11 of 13 passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns.
The Cowboys’ defense wasn’t anywhere close to the unit that new coordinator Rod Marinelli wants. It didn’t force a turnover. Bruce Carter had the only sack of Kaepernick, and the Cowboys hit him only three times.
Cornerbacks Morris Claiborne and Brandon Carr struggled in coverage. Claiborne, who didn’t play in a preseason game for a second consecutive year because of injuries, particularly had trouble in third-and-short situations.
San Francisco faced a third-and-4 on its second drive of the third quarter, and Claiborne was about 7 yards off the line of scrimmage when the ball was snapped. Claiborne back-pedaled after the snap and was 5 yards away from receiver Anquan Boldin when Kaepernick threw the football to the left side for an easy first down on a 9-yard gain.
“It’s zone. You have responsibilities and that’s not your responsibility at that moment,” Claiborne said, explaining why he wasn’t tighter on Boldin at the line. “In zone, you have places where you’re light and places where you’re strong. And we gave up some catches in that zone. It happens.”
Sure, the Cowboys still had their problems on defense. But it wasn’t all bad.
The Cowboys’ defense looked much better in the second half. Of course, the 49ers’ offense could have lost interest by then because of their 28-3 halftime lead.
Regardless, the Cowboys’ defense pitched a shutout in the second half. Dallas allowed 200 yards on 24 plays in the first half. The Cowboys’ defense allowed only 116 yards on 30 plays over the last two quarters.
One of the biggest bright spots was linebacker Rolando McClain, the eighth overall pick in 2010 who has since retired twice and been arrested three times.
McClain started at middle linebacker and was active, tying weak-side linebacker Justin Durant for the team lead with eight tackles.
McClain finished the game also playing in the nickel defense in place of Durant and alongside Carter. Durant, who almost intercepted a Kaepernick pass in the third quarter, left the game in the fourth quarter with a strained groin.
“I’ve been trying to tell people for a while. He’s coming on strong,” Cowboys safety Barry Church said of McClain. “He was out there all over the place.”
Carter played better from the strong-side linebacker spot after struggling last season at weak-side. He had a sack, pass breakup and five tackles.
Of the Cowboys’ starting 11 on defense, only two players had sacks in 2013. Carter had two for the Cowboys, and defensive end Jeremy Mincey — a free agent addition in the offseason — had two sacks last season for Jacksonville.
This isn’t a star-studded defense.
And for one game, at least, it hung in there only to see the offense let down Dallas.
“I just like how they battled,” Marinelli said. “Bunch of really tough guys who care and play hard. So we just got to build off of that.”
Dallasnews.com
ARLINGTON — The Cowboys’ much-maligned defense can’t be blamed for Sunday’s loss to San Francisco.
Cowboys defensive players certainly didn’t have a lot to pound their chest about in the first half, but overall, it wasn’t that bad.
San Francisco finished with 316 total yards and had only two legit touchdown drives.
A Cowboys’ defense that ranked last in the league in 2013 would have done cartwheels for those kinds of results last season.
Remember, this was a unit that allowed 478 yards or more six times last season, including giving up more than 620 yards twice in a three-game span.
And the 11 defensive starters who took the field Sunday didn’t include DeMarcus Ware, Jason Hatcher or Sean Lee. (Incidentally, Hatcher had 11/2 sacks for Denver, and Hatcher had one for Washington.)
“Defensively, I saw us do some things out there that if we hadn’t gotten ourselves in such a hole, we might have had a more rewarding experience,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. “The way the game went, it took a lot of air out of us to have three turnovers.”
San Francisco started the game by returning a DeMarco Murray fumble 35 yards for a touchdown. Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo had three interceptions, one of which was returned to the 2-yard line. San Francisco scored on the next play.
Before the Cowboys’ defense could really settle in, the 49ers were way ahead. San Francisco ran only four plays in the first quarter but held a 21-3 lead.
San Francisco’s Colin Kaepernick had a near-perfect 156.6 quarterback rating in the first half. He completed 11 of 13 passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns.
The Cowboys’ defense wasn’t anywhere close to the unit that new coordinator Rod Marinelli wants. It didn’t force a turnover. Bruce Carter had the only sack of Kaepernick, and the Cowboys hit him only three times.
Cornerbacks Morris Claiborne and Brandon Carr struggled in coverage. Claiborne, who didn’t play in a preseason game for a second consecutive year because of injuries, particularly had trouble in third-and-short situations.
San Francisco faced a third-and-4 on its second drive of the third quarter, and Claiborne was about 7 yards off the line of scrimmage when the ball was snapped. Claiborne back-pedaled after the snap and was 5 yards away from receiver Anquan Boldin when Kaepernick threw the football to the left side for an easy first down on a 9-yard gain.
“It’s zone. You have responsibilities and that’s not your responsibility at that moment,” Claiborne said, explaining why he wasn’t tighter on Boldin at the line. “In zone, you have places where you’re light and places where you’re strong. And we gave up some catches in that zone. It happens.”
Sure, the Cowboys still had their problems on defense. But it wasn’t all bad.
The Cowboys’ defense looked much better in the second half. Of course, the 49ers’ offense could have lost interest by then because of their 28-3 halftime lead.
Regardless, the Cowboys’ defense pitched a shutout in the second half. Dallas allowed 200 yards on 24 plays in the first half. The Cowboys’ defense allowed only 116 yards on 30 plays over the last two quarters.
One of the biggest bright spots was linebacker Rolando McClain, the eighth overall pick in 2010 who has since retired twice and been arrested three times.
McClain started at middle linebacker and was active, tying weak-side linebacker Justin Durant for the team lead with eight tackles.
McClain finished the game also playing in the nickel defense in place of Durant and alongside Carter. Durant, who almost intercepted a Kaepernick pass in the third quarter, left the game in the fourth quarter with a strained groin.
“I’ve been trying to tell people for a while. He’s coming on strong,” Cowboys safety Barry Church said of McClain. “He was out there all over the place.”
Carter played better from the strong-side linebacker spot after struggling last season at weak-side. He had a sack, pass breakup and five tackles.
Of the Cowboys’ starting 11 on defense, only two players had sacks in 2013. Carter had two for the Cowboys, and defensive end Jeremy Mincey — a free agent addition in the offseason — had two sacks last season for Jacksonville.
This isn’t a star-studded defense.
And for one game, at least, it hung in there only to see the offense let down Dallas.
“I just like how they battled,” Marinelli said. “Bunch of really tough guys who care and play hard. So we just got to build off of that.”