Archer: So far so not-so-bad for the Cowboys' defense through four games

Cotton

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So far so not-so-bad for the Cowboys' defense through four games
9:36 AM CT
Todd Archer
ESPN Staff Writer

FRISCO, Texas -- Four games into the 2016 season the Dallas Cowboys defense isn't bad. It's not great -- but it's not bad.

The dire predictions at the start of the season just haven't come true yet, just like they didn't come true in 2014.

Maybe the emphasis should be on the word "yet".

"As we get past the first month of the season you get into I guess the meat of (the season)," cornerback Brandon Carr said. "October and November is when the real football starts and you've got film on these guys and you kind of get an understanding of how they're going to attack you. Four games into it we know who is how and how teams are going to play and now the real football starts, so to speak, as far as how can you out execute and out prepare the next opponent."

The Cowboys are 18th in yards allowed per game. They are 11th against the run and 19th against the pass. They are 10th in points allowed, which is the most important statistic. They have not allowed more than 23 points in a game.

Of the major defensive statistics there are two categories in which the Cowboys are worse off than they were through four games in 2015: Rushing yards and sacks. The Cowboys are allowing 94.8 yards per game on the ground and 4.5 yards per carry. Last year they allowed 91.8 yards and 3.7 yards per carry. They have six sacks this season. They had eight sacks last year.

But they will welcome DeMarcus Lawrence, last season's team leader in sacks, to the lineup Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals after a four-game suspension.

"It definitely opens up more one-on-one opportunities for other guys," said defensive end/tackle Tyrone Crawford, who leads the Cowboys with two sacks. "Also, just sacks. He's going to help this team get more sacks."

For those hoping the Cowboys' defense would be some sort of newfound Doomsday or one of the top lockdown units in the NFL that was never going to be the case. The first two drives by the San Francisco 49ers were terrifying. The Niners did what they wanted to do when they wanted to do it, converting on their first seven third-down opportunities and gaining 143 yards.

After that, however, San Francisco converted just one more third-down chance and gained just 147 yards on their seven full drives the rest of the game. The Cowboys also had a takeaway and a key fourth-down stop.

"We got a read on them," safety Barry Church said. "We figured it out."

If you're looking for the way defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli wants to play things out, then listen to what he said after the Cowboys beat the Washington Redskins in Week 2.

"If you don't panic and you just keep playing, usually the offense will self-destruct," Marinelli said. "If you just don't give up the home run, you know, make them just keep punching away."

The Cowboys want to force opposing offenses to drive the field. It's a sound strategy which plays into Marinelli's desire to not blitz often.

If there has been an issue for the Cowboys in the first four games, it has been the big plays allowed even without bringing extra pressure on the quarterback.

The Cowboys have allowed 11 runs of 10 yards or more, accounting for 189 yards. Nearly 50 percent of the 379 rushing yards has come on those 11 plays.

Among the Cowboys' first four opponents, only the San Francisco 49ers (10th) have a run game ranked in the top-half of the league. Cincinnati's run game ranks 28th but the next four opponents after the Bengals have run games ranked in the top half of the NFL.

The Cowboys have allowed 16 passes of 20 yards or more. Of the 1,084 passing yards allowed, 45 percent of them have come on 16 of the 90 completions by the opposing quarterbacks.

Aside from Eli Manning in the season opener, the Cowboys have not seen an elite quarterback (Kirk Cousins, Brian Hoyer and Blaine Gabbert). In their next three games they see Andy Dalton, Aaron Rodgers and Carson Wentz.

"The defense needs to be better," Crawford said. "But it's been OK. We need to step up on our takeaways. More groups need to get takeaways. Our secondary is doing a good job but I feel like our down guys and our linebackers need to get more takeaways. I feel like we're running to the ball well. But we just need to continue to play our style of ball."
 

Hoffa

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Gabbert's poorly underthrown ball on the Claiborne INT and Cousins airmailing a couple of sure TD's in the Skins game have slightly skewed these stats.

The D has been a little better than I anticipated, but they've also gotten very lucky.
 

Cowboysrock55

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Gabbert's poorly underthrown ball on the Claiborne INT and Cousins airmailing a couple of sure TD's in the Skins game have slightly skewed these stats.

The D has been a little better than I anticipated, but they've also gotten very lucky.
When you throw a ball 50 yards down the field it's not uncommon for the ball to be off. It's a long distance to throw the ball and even the best QBs miss those throws sometimes. I mean a perfect QB can beat any coverage at any time. So I don't really get people lamenting a few throws like other QBs don't miss some.
 

Jiggyfly

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Gabbert's poorly underthrown ball on the Claiborne INT and Cousins airmailing a couple of sure TD's in the Skins game have slightly skewed these stats.

The D has been a little better than I anticipated, but they've also gotten very lucky.
The ball was under thrown because he got pressure and hit, why does everybody keep leaving this out?
 

boozeman

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The ball was under thrown because he got pressure and hit, why does everybody keep leaving this out?
And that happens on a lot of INTs that don't get dissected.

Lookit, I am pleased that Claiborne seems to be turning a corner. But a lot of this is Fool's Gold as far as I am concerned. That was not some great play.

It was a play a good CB should make. If that means he is "good" so be it.
 

Jiggyfly

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And that happens on a lot of INTs that don't get dissected.

Lookit, I am pleased that Claiborne seems to be turning a corner. But a lot of this is Fool's Gold as far as I am concerned. That was not some great play.

It was a play a good CB should make. If that means he is "good" so be it.
It was a play Claiborne would have usually panicked on and would not have even seen the underthrow and it would have just ended up a incompletion or a flag if he really panicked.

It was a good play because he tracked the ball the entire time and then made a play.

What was fools gold abut that play?

Why can't he just be turning into a good CB?
 

boozeman

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It was a play Claiborne would have usually panicked on and would not have even seen the underthrow and it would have just ended up a incompletion or a flag if he really panicked.

It was a good play because he tracked the ball the entire time and then made a play.

I see know one calling it a great play but it is was also nothing fools gold about it either .
I think all our corners are tracking the ball better.

Getting rid of Henderson is an underappreciated change.

Claiborne didn't just suddenly lose his panic gene.
 

Cotton

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I think all our corners are tracking the ball better.

Getting rid of Henderson is an underappreciated change.

Claiborne didn't just suddenly lose his panic gene.
I think that might be a lot of it. But, Claiborne saw the ball released and played the ball instead of the player. In years past, he might not have even been looking back to see the release of the ball. He is definitely improved.
 

Hawkeye19

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"If you don't panic and you just keep playing, usually the offense will self-destruct," Marinelli said. "If you just don't give up the home run, you know, make them just keep punching away."
And we wonder why we lack a killer instinct
 

boozeman

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And we wonder why we lack a killer instinct
Yeah, that's a loser mentality.

To keep with the boxing mentality, it's dumb.

The all time greats knocked people out, they didn't dodge and dance hoping for the judge's decision.
 

Hawkeye19

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Yeah, that's a loser mentality.

To keep with the boxing mentality, it's dumb.

The all time greats knocked people out, they didn't dodge and dance hoping for the judge's decision.

Marinelli went for a kill shot when he sent 6 rushers against Gabbert-- aaaaand a couple of them went to the wrong gaps. Not only do they not have a killer instinct-- apparently some of them don't even know their assignments.

According to Rod-- the goal is to not give up the big play. But Gabbert and Hyde gashed us 5-6 times on Sunday. I shudder to think what Dalton, Hill/Bernard, and Green might do.
 

Cowboysrock55

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You know, I want to blitz more to create pressure but man we suck at it. Marinelli just isn't good at designing blitzes. The occasional corner blitz works for us but otherwise its like we have defenders getting in each others way when blitzing.
 

shane

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They just better run more against better teams. They can't be exposing their crappy defense or their young QB and should go out of their way to protect them. Dak passing more than running the ball will be unacceptable over the next three games.
 

mcnuttz

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19th overall vs. Eli Manning, Kirk Cousins, Brian Hoyer, and Blaine fricking Gabbert.

WTF will Ben Roethlisberger do to us?

:skurred
Corner us in a dirty bathroom.
 

Cowboysrock55

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They just better run more against better teams. They can't be exposing their crappy defense or their young QB and should go out of their way to protect them. Dak passing more than running the ball will be unacceptable over the next three games.
Um, we lead the NFL in rushing attempts. What exactly do you want our coaches to do?
 
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