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Cowboys chat recap: Where's the rush?
June, 13, 2014
By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com
IRVING, Texas -- With the Dallas Cowboys closing up shop on their organized team activities this week, we had a lively chat on Wednesday.
In it we discussed:
If you want to read the full chat, click here. And as a note, next week’s chat will be pushed back to June 20 with the Cowboys holding the minicamp next week.
But there was one question I’d like to expand upon.
Rico (North Jersey): Hey Todd, thanks for answering my question. I do not think any of our d-line guys can get double digit sacks, but if all them get 7 or 8 sacks each, I think that would improve greatly from last year. I'll take that over a D.Ware. What do you think?
Todd Archer: Jeremy Mincey has one eight-sack season and it came in 2011. Henry Meltonhas never had eight sacks in a season. Anthony Spencer did it once. George Selvie had a career-high seven last year. I don't think all of them can get you seven or eight. Maybe 5-7 is the max. Is that enough? Not sure.
I just don’t see a defender right now with the ability to get a double-digit sack season. The best indicator for these kinds of things is past performance. Spencer has one in his career but there is a really good chance he does not play more than 10 regular-season games this year. Mincey came close with eight when he was in Jacksonville. Maybe Melton can do whatJason Hatcher did last year at the 3-technique. Hatcher never had more than 4.5 sacks in a season and had 11 in 2013. He really took to the scheme
Melton has a history with Rod Marinelli of performing well, so there is that past-performance indicator. I just don’t think he gets 10 sacks. Selvie had seven sacks last year. Can he do it again? Six of those seven sacks came in the first nine games. If he plays less this year, will that freshness allow him to get to the quarterback more?
DeMarcus Lawrence will have a chance, but remember DeMarcus Ware had eight as a rookie and three came in one game in Week 16. He will have to learn on the job.
The Cowboys had only 34 sacks last year. They had 34 in 2012 with Rob Ryan running the 3-4. It is their lowest two-year total since 2003-04 when they had 65. Bill Parcells moved to the 3-4 in 2005 after drafting Ware and the Cowboys’ sack totals increased. They really increased when Wade Phillips took over. In Phillips’ three full seasons the Cowboys had 46, 59 and 42 sacks.
For nine years, Ware was the lead dog. This year it looks like a sack-by-committee approach. But will the leader reach 10? Do they have five guys who could get 40 sacks between them? I just don’t think you can expect career years from so many players.
June, 13, 2014
By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com
IRVING, Texas -- With the Dallas Cowboys closing up shop on their organized team activities this week, we had a lively chat on Wednesday.
In it we discussed:
- The Cowboys’ salary-cap situation.
- The Cowboys’ secondary situation.
- The Cowboys’ leadership situation
- The Cowboys’ fullback situation
If you want to read the full chat, click here. And as a note, next week’s chat will be pushed back to June 20 with the Cowboys holding the minicamp next week.
But there was one question I’d like to expand upon.
Rico (North Jersey): Hey Todd, thanks for answering my question. I do not think any of our d-line guys can get double digit sacks, but if all them get 7 or 8 sacks each, I think that would improve greatly from last year. I'll take that over a D.Ware. What do you think?
Todd Archer: Jeremy Mincey has one eight-sack season and it came in 2011. Henry Meltonhas never had eight sacks in a season. Anthony Spencer did it once. George Selvie had a career-high seven last year. I don't think all of them can get you seven or eight. Maybe 5-7 is the max. Is that enough? Not sure.
I just don’t see a defender right now with the ability to get a double-digit sack season. The best indicator for these kinds of things is past performance. Spencer has one in his career but there is a really good chance he does not play more than 10 regular-season games this year. Mincey came close with eight when he was in Jacksonville. Maybe Melton can do whatJason Hatcher did last year at the 3-technique. Hatcher never had more than 4.5 sacks in a season and had 11 in 2013. He really took to the scheme
Melton has a history with Rod Marinelli of performing well, so there is that past-performance indicator. I just don’t think he gets 10 sacks. Selvie had seven sacks last year. Can he do it again? Six of those seven sacks came in the first nine games. If he plays less this year, will that freshness allow him to get to the quarterback more?
DeMarcus Lawrence will have a chance, but remember DeMarcus Ware had eight as a rookie and three came in one game in Week 16. He will have to learn on the job.
The Cowboys had only 34 sacks last year. They had 34 in 2012 with Rob Ryan running the 3-4. It is their lowest two-year total since 2003-04 when they had 65. Bill Parcells moved to the 3-4 in 2005 after drafting Ware and the Cowboys’ sack totals increased. They really increased when Wade Phillips took over. In Phillips’ three full seasons the Cowboys had 46, 59 and 42 sacks.
For nine years, Ware was the lead dog. This year it looks like a sack-by-committee approach. But will the leader reach 10? Do they have five guys who could get 40 sacks between them? I just don’t think you can expect career years from so many players.
