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Cowboys are close to getting what they need for defensive scheme
Jean-Jacques Taylor, ESPN Staff Writer
IRVING, Texas - The Tampa 2 defensive scheme that Monte Kiffin and Rod Marinelli brought to Dallas in 2013 needs big-time players at three key spots to thrive.
In Tampa Bay, Warren Sapp was the three-technique defensive tackle, who always plays on the outside shoulder of the guard, making it more difficult for him to be blocked.
Derrick Brooks was the weak side linebacker, which meant he seldom took on blockers. All he had to do was find the ball and make the tackle.
John Lynch was the strong safety, who provided a physical element along the back line of the defense as well as run support.
Sapp and Brooks are in the Hall of Fame, and Lynch is among 108 nominees for induction in next year’s class.
Well, the Cowboys are close to having all the elements they need to get the most out of this scheme.
Tyrone Crawford, the Cowboys’ three-technique, is a consistently disruptive player, who just signed a five-year, $45 million contract.
Sean Lee, the weak side linebacker, is an elite player who will probably make his first Pro Bowl appearance if he can stay healthy. He’s already signed a long-term deal.
“It’s not just speed, it’s his instincts,” Marinelli said. “He has rare, rare ability. This fits Sean perfectly.
“It’s a playmaking position and he makes plays. We need him to be disruptive and he is.”
J.J. Wilcox is starting to emerge as a physical presence in his third season. He delivered a big hit that jarred the ball loose from Odell Beckham Jr. in Week 1 and his fourth-quarter interception set up the Cowboys’ clinching touchdown in a 20-10 win over Philadelphia.
The Cowboys’ defense allowed one touchdown against the New York Giants, which was set up by an interception return to the Dallas 1. Philadelphia scored its only touchdown with 1:21 left in the fourth quarter.
The key, said Marinelli, is simplicity. The Cowboys don’t use a many exotic coverages or stunts with their defensive lineman.
Instead, Marinelli devotes extra time to tackling angles and the art of disguising coverages. The defense has also evolved because Marinelli is confident in the ability of Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne to play man-to-man, so he doesn’t have to stay in a zone defense all of the time.
“In Tampa Bay we were built on a few principles,” Marinelli said. “When you have a system that disguises and you rep the same things every day, you see things faster and you can play faster.
“Disguising forces the quarterback to work through the process, and it adds more to your package without making it complicated. We make the complex simple and for the quarterback we make the simple look complex.”
The Cowboys rank second in total defense (257.5 yards per game and first in run defense (53.0 yards er game).
And the Cowboys’ defense should improve as defensive end Greg Hardy (suspension) and linebacker Rolando McClain (suspension) and defensive end Randy Gregory (ankle) return to the defense over the next three weeks.
Jean-Jacques Taylor, ESPN Staff Writer
IRVING, Texas - The Tampa 2 defensive scheme that Monte Kiffin and Rod Marinelli brought to Dallas in 2013 needs big-time players at three key spots to thrive.
In Tampa Bay, Warren Sapp was the three-technique defensive tackle, who always plays on the outside shoulder of the guard, making it more difficult for him to be blocked.
Derrick Brooks was the weak side linebacker, which meant he seldom took on blockers. All he had to do was find the ball and make the tackle.
John Lynch was the strong safety, who provided a physical element along the back line of the defense as well as run support.
Sapp and Brooks are in the Hall of Fame, and Lynch is among 108 nominees for induction in next year’s class.
Well, the Cowboys are close to having all the elements they need to get the most out of this scheme.
Tyrone Crawford, the Cowboys’ three-technique, is a consistently disruptive player, who just signed a five-year, $45 million contract.
Sean Lee, the weak side linebacker, is an elite player who will probably make his first Pro Bowl appearance if he can stay healthy. He’s already signed a long-term deal.
“It’s not just speed, it’s his instincts,” Marinelli said. “He has rare, rare ability. This fits Sean perfectly.
“It’s a playmaking position and he makes plays. We need him to be disruptive and he is.”
J.J. Wilcox is starting to emerge as a physical presence in his third season. He delivered a big hit that jarred the ball loose from Odell Beckham Jr. in Week 1 and his fourth-quarter interception set up the Cowboys’ clinching touchdown in a 20-10 win over Philadelphia.
The Cowboys’ defense allowed one touchdown against the New York Giants, which was set up by an interception return to the Dallas 1. Philadelphia scored its only touchdown with 1:21 left in the fourth quarter.
The key, said Marinelli, is simplicity. The Cowboys don’t use a many exotic coverages or stunts with their defensive lineman.
Instead, Marinelli devotes extra time to tackling angles and the art of disguising coverages. The defense has also evolved because Marinelli is confident in the ability of Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne to play man-to-man, so he doesn’t have to stay in a zone defense all of the time.
“In Tampa Bay we were built on a few principles,” Marinelli said. “When you have a system that disguises and you rep the same things every day, you see things faster and you can play faster.
“Disguising forces the quarterback to work through the process, and it adds more to your package without making it complicated. We make the complex simple and for the quarterback we make the simple look complex.”
The Cowboys rank second in total defense (257.5 yards per game and first in run defense (53.0 yards er game).
And the Cowboys’ defense should improve as defensive end Greg Hardy (suspension) and linebacker Rolando McClain (suspension) and defensive end Randy Gregory (ankle) return to the defense over the next three weeks.
