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Mailbag: Could Ed Reed Help The Cowboys Defense?
TOM MILLER
WEST UNION, IA
With Sean Lee going down for an extended period of time, are we going to see the sameBruce Carter that burst onto the scene when this happened last year?
David: Jason Garrett mentioned on Tuesday morning how impressively Carter stepped up when Lee went down last fall. The Cowboys could certainly use it again, as to this point he’s been one of the bigger disappointments on this defense. The Cowboys have yet to decide who will play middle linebacker with the absence of both Lee and Justin Durant, but I’m throwing my hat in the ring for Carter. He has experience playing in the middle of a 3-4 scheme. Maybe the added responsibility of calling the plays for the defense would be a confidence booster.
Rowan:I don’t think so. He just hasn’t seemed as comfortable in this scheme as the player we saw last year, and switching positions from the one he’s finally used to doesn’t make me think that will all of a sudden change. He’s physically capable of being a valuable commodity, as we
saw last year. I’ve been surprised Carter hasn’t been on the field more this year, but he also hasn’t met the expectations many people had for him after seeing his athleticism last year.
JAYSON BROWN
HOUSTON, TX
Do you believe that the Cowboys should at least consider giving Ed Reed a shot? They tried out Michael Huff.
David: I’m as big a fan of Ed Reed as you’re going to come across – he went to high school right up the road from me. But nothing about bringing him in sounds good for this team. He’s struggled with health issues, as he’s 35 years old. He averaged two tackles per game and didn’t force any turnovers in seven starts for Houston. On top of all of that, he was openly critical of the Texans’ coaching staff in the wake of their recent loss to Arizona, which the Cowboys don’t need. He’s an all-time great, but I don’t see him making this defense any better in 2013.
Rowan: Not if he isn’t the same player anymore, which appears to be the case. I can’t say I’ve watched every Texans game, but even if I had it’s likely I wouldn’t have seen much of him. He’s been injured through different times this year and has admitted a drop-off in play, which forced him to take significantly reduced snaps in games. He was an absolute stud in Baltimore and it may be worth a workout just to see what he’s got left, but the 35-year-old hasn’t looked like the same guy this year.
TOM MILLER
WEST UNION, IA
With Sean Lee going down for an extended period of time, are we going to see the sameBruce Carter that burst onto the scene when this happened last year?
David: Jason Garrett mentioned on Tuesday morning how impressively Carter stepped up when Lee went down last fall. The Cowboys could certainly use it again, as to this point he’s been one of the bigger disappointments on this defense. The Cowboys have yet to decide who will play middle linebacker with the absence of both Lee and Justin Durant, but I’m throwing my hat in the ring for Carter. He has experience playing in the middle of a 3-4 scheme. Maybe the added responsibility of calling the plays for the defense would be a confidence booster.
Rowan:I don’t think so. He just hasn’t seemed as comfortable in this scheme as the player we saw last year, and switching positions from the one he’s finally used to doesn’t make me think that will all of a sudden change. He’s physically capable of being a valuable commodity, as we
saw last year. I’ve been surprised Carter hasn’t been on the field more this year, but he also hasn’t met the expectations many people had for him after seeing his athleticism last year.
JAYSON BROWN
HOUSTON, TX
Do you believe that the Cowboys should at least consider giving Ed Reed a shot? They tried out Michael Huff.
David: I’m as big a fan of Ed Reed as you’re going to come across – he went to high school right up the road from me. But nothing about bringing him in sounds good for this team. He’s struggled with health issues, as he’s 35 years old. He averaged two tackles per game and didn’t force any turnovers in seven starts for Houston. On top of all of that, he was openly critical of the Texans’ coaching staff in the wake of their recent loss to Arizona, which the Cowboys don’t need. He’s an all-time great, but I don’t see him making this defense any better in 2013.
Rowan: Not if he isn’t the same player anymore, which appears to be the case. I can’t say I’ve watched every Texans game, but even if I had it’s likely I wouldn’t have seen much of him. He’s been injured through different times this year and has admitted a drop-off in play, which forced him to take significantly reduced snaps in games. He was an absolute stud in Baltimore and it may be worth a workout just to see what he’s got left, but the 35-year-old hasn’t looked like the same guy this year.
