Randy Gregory suspended 4 games

ravidubey

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1) Starting running back, preferably Miller, Forte or Martin, though a guy like Ivory would at least be a nice addition.
Ivory is a beast and I think he's a perfect fit. I sign him in a second and still draft a guy. This team must make use of it's investment on the OL, and that means extreme strength at RB.
2) One or two mid level corners. This depends on what we do with Carr and Claiborne as well. Even if both of them
returned I'd want at least one mid tier FA here. I'm looking at Carr-Scandrick-Claiborne/FA-2nd FA-camp body.
This will work itself out. Carr and Claiborne should both be back with palatable deals along with Scandrick, Jones and whomever we pick up. Not really worried here, barring injuries.
3) Pass rusher - even if not on Hardy's level you have to get someone better than Mincey in here to hold the fort for Gregory.
DeForest Buckner. With Hardy and Mincey probably gone, Lawrence injured, and Gregory a project at best this yet again becomes a position of critical need. Again Gregory has shown no signs that he's a player, either mentally or with talent on the field. His starting for us underscores exactly how weak we are and have been without Ware.
4) Big splash player at some other position - safety, linebacker, defensive lineman.
Maybe not a massive splash, but a solid defensive tackle signing would be nice.
1) Muhammad Wilkerson (if the Jets are this foolish; even still need to be careful about his leg).
1a) Danny Trevathan
2) Snacks Harrison
3) Eric Weddle
Any of the above would be sweet
5) Fill in the gaps on offense - backup TE, swing tackle, utility lineman, special
teams WR, etc.
I'd love to see someone inject life and professionalism into this WR corps. Mohamad Sanu would be amazing. I'm tired of accepting average play or highly limited players in the starting lineup.
 

Cowboysrock55

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DeForest Buckner might not be a pass rusher.
Ravi has some weird theory that DEs are better based on their weight.

I was reading something the other day that has my opinion a litttle higher on Buckner though. To me he is a Richard Seymore type who can play 3-4 DE or 4-3 DT. His build isn't really that much different then Hatcher who blew up as a 3 technique in this defense. It just scares me at 4 taking a guy and playing him in a new position.
 

Jiggyfly

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Ravi has some weird theory that DEs are better based on their weight.

I was reading something the other day that has my opinion a litttle higher on Buckner though. To me he is a Richard Seymore type who can play 3-4 DE or 4-3 DT. His build isn't really that much different then Hatcher who blew up as a 3 technique in this defense. It just scares me at 4 taking a guy and playing him in a new position.
4 is still to high for him especially the money we have tied up at the 3 and is he really better than Crawford?
 

boozeman

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4 is still to high for him especially the money we have tied up at the 3 and is he really better than Crawford?
I think the team is massively overrating Crawford. There are four or five guys in this draft that will be vastly superior to him right away.
 

Chocolate Lab

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I think the team is massively overrating Crawford. There are four or five guys in this draft that will be vastly superior to him right away.
Crawford is one of the most overrated players we've had in the last several years.
 

Jiggyfly

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I think the team is massively overrating Crawford. There are four or five guys in this draft that will be vastly superior to him right away.
I highly doubt that.

Crawford was the blocking focal point of every offensive line, he was the only guy consistently getting double teams.

Vastly superior?

Please name these 4 or 5 rookies who would be that.
 

boozeman

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I highly doubt that.

Crawford was the blocking focal point of every offensive line, he was the only guy consistently getting double teams.

Vastly superior?

Please name these 4 or 5 rookies who would be that.
Pick the top five DTs in this draft. I am saying it now, they will all be able to match his best year, much less his mediocre season in 2015.

And don't give me this garbage about double teaming. So you double him or Hayden? And when I say that, this team overrated him....they honestly thought he could be effective with Hayden.
 

Jiggyfly

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Pick the top five DTs in this draft. I am saying it now, they will all be able to match his best year, much less his mediocre season in 2015.

And don't give me this garbage about double teaming. So you double him or Hayden? And when I say that, this team overrated him....they honestly thought he could be effective with Hayden.
So you are saying the top 5 Dt's in this draft will all have over 5 sacks?

There has been only 4 1st round DT's since 2010 who have had over 5 sacks as rookies and 2 of those guys had 5.5 sacks.

Both Leonard Williams and Danny Shelton from last years draft who both would be near the top DT's in this draft, neither had 5 sacks.

None of these guys had 5 sacks as a rookie.

Gerald McCoy
Muhammed Wilkerson
Star Lotulelei
Sheldon Richardson
Nick Fairley

So tell me again how the top 5 guys from this weak draft are all going to be vastly superior.

I know you are in shit on anything Cowboys mode but come on man.

Crawford also played with a jacked up shoulder most of last year, I am not say none of these guys could not be better but 5 vastly superior as a rookie?

Oh hell no.
 

boozeman

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So uh, yeah DT production is always measured in sacks. :dunce
 

ravidubey

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:lol

Whatever man none of those guys had great tackle numbers either.
Great DT's impact the game in ways that often can't be measured by common stats.

A single foot of driving the offensive line backwards creates great pressure because it brings the whole defense closer to the backfield while clearing space for linebackers and other linemen. Simultaneously it crowds the backfield making running very hard and ruining the pocket for a QB.

We all know that that's what we want the DL to do, yet there isn't a single stat that measures it.

Don't know of many (if any at all) great defenses that didn't have a powerful presence in the middle.
 

Cowboysrock55

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Crawford is a good player. The problem is we need a great player at the 3 technique in this defense. It is a position where you should have an elite player. I'm talking Warren Sapp, Tommy Harris and Henry Melton (When he was playing at an elite probowl level) elite. Or even Jason Hatcher (11 sacks as a 3 technique).

Maybe Crawford will do that stuff. But he just isn't there yet. His 5 sacks last year were good but his pass rush just was not consistent enough. I want an absolute stud at that spot. And if we don't have an absolute stud at that spot then we need a stud next to him at the 1 technique.

Stats are funny. In my opinion Crawford was far more disruptive in 2014 when his stats don't really show it.
 
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ravidubey

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And while the 3-technique gets the attention, the 1 technique is also hugely important. Booger McFarland was a 1st round pick and had as much to do with taking that defense to the next level as Simeon Rice or Warren Sapp.

When you ignore the 1-technique, you end up with soft defenses like Dallas has fielded for decades now. Occasionally they will attack and look great, but then they give up a monster play or break down vs runs up the gut.
 

Cowboysrock55

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And while the 3-technique gets the attention, the 1 technique is also hugely important. Booger McFarland was a 1st round pick and had as much to do with taking that defense to the next level as Simeon Rice or Warren Sapp.

When you ignore the 1-technique, you end up with soft defenses like Dallas has fielded for decades now. Occasionally they will attack and look great, but then they give up a monster play or break down vs runs up the gut.
I look at the Bears defense that Marinelli had as one that I would really like to have. You have Julius Peppers, Henry Melton, Paea and Israel Idonije on the D-line. It was their 2012 unit and it was beastly. The best defense that Marinelli coordinated.

Demarcus Lawrence can be what Idonije was. I even think Crawford might be able to be what Henry Melton was. Where we lack are Paea and Julius Peppers. Paea was a second round pick for the Bears, an extremely strong guy and he held down the nose very well. Kind of reminds me of Billings and what he would do as a 1 technique in our defense. Of course we also could use a Peppers type pass rusher at RE. Our only real hope for that is with Gregory. He will never have Peppers size but we just need to be able to recreate that pass rush at this point.
 

townsend

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I look at the Bears defense that Marinelli had as one that I would really like to have. You have Julius Peppers, Henry Melton, Paea and Israel Idonije on the D-line. It was their 2012 unit and it was beastly. The best defense that Marinelli coordinated.

Demarcus Lawrence can be what Idonije was. I even think Crawford might be able to be what Henry Melton was. Where we lack are Paea and Julius Peppers. Paea was a second round pick for the Bears, an extremely strong guy and he held down the nose very well. Kind of reminds me of Billings and what he would do as a 1 technique in our defense. Of course we also could use a Peppers type pass rusher at RE. Our only real hope for that is with Gregory. He will never have Peppers size but we just need to be able to recreate that pass rush at this point.
We don't have anything close to that LBing core and defensive backfield though. Tim Jennings had more interceptions in 2012 than the entire 2015 Cowboys roster.
 

Cowboysrock55

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We don't have anything close to that LBing core and defensive backfield though. Tim Jennings had more interceptions in 2012 than the entire 2015 Cowboys roster.
I agree with you on the DB part, although I think Schmitty and others would argue that Jennings hasn't had an INT since leaving the Bears and that pass rush. We need better DB play but if Scandrick didn't have brick hands I'd say he could put together that type of a season.
 

townsend

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I agree with you on the DB part, although I think Schmitty and others would argue that Jennings hasn't had an INT since leaving the Bears and that pass rush. We need better DB play but if Scandrick didn't have brick hands I'd say he could put together that type of a season.
I feel like the team had a weird season last year. It still puzzles me that Sean Lee came back to a defense that had a shitload of turnovers without him, and somehow we had one of the worst turnover defenses.

Maybe it's because we had very few shootouts, compared to 2014. But there were some contentious games where this defense folded, when it could have won. New Orleans, Seattle, 2nd Philly game come to mind. Hell we nearly choked away the first Redskins win in the closing seconds by letting them throw for a TD.

That's why I don't buy the unproductive offense killing the turnovers angle. the 2015 defense folded in the clutch, that never happened with our scrappy 2014 defense (except in Green Bay).
 

Jiggyfly

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I look at the Bears defense that Marinelli had as one that I would really like to have. You have Julius Peppers, Henry Melton, Paea and Israel Idonije on the D-line. It was their 2012 unit and it was beastly. The best defense that Marinelli coordinated.

Demarcus Lawrence can be what Idonije was. I even think Crawford might be able to be what Henry Melton was. Where we lack are Paea and Julius Peppers. Paea was a second round pick for the Bears, an extremely strong guy and he held down the nose very well. Kind of reminds me of Billings and what he would do as a 1 technique in our defense. Of course we also could use a Peppers type pass rusher at RE. Our only real hope for that is with Gregory. He will never have Peppers size but we just need to be able to recreate that pass rush at this point.
That defense had 2 great LB one a hall of famer and the other a notch below.

That is also holding this defense back.
 

Cowboysrock55

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That defense had 2 great LB one a hall of famer and the other a notch below.

That is also holding this defense back.
Sean Lee when healthy isn't far off from those guys. We do need a second LBer to stand up as elite. Rolando has the physical skills but I just don't think he has the motivation to be anything better then what he is now. It's why I am perfectly fine moving on from him.
 
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