Mendez: Jones says Cowboys thought they could be very choosy with defensive linemen

Cotton

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Jerry Jones says Cowboys thought they could be very choosy with defensive linemen in 2013 draft

The Cowboys thought they were deep enough in the defensive line last year that they could be picky in the draft, owner and general manager Jerry Jones said.

But he admitted he didn’t anticipate the number of injuries the Cowboys would have at that position.

“We lost four of the five that we thought we were going to compete with all year long, much less initially or at periods of time, and so I didn’t anticipate that,” Jones said.

Jones said he thought DeMarcus Ware would have a strong year because he was healthy, that Anthony Spencer was getting ready to put back-to-back years together, that Jay Ratliff could regain his Pro Bowl form after battling injuries for two years and that 2012 third-round pick Tyrone Crawford was “our up-and-coming star, if you will.”

The Cowboys passed up a chance to select defensive tackle Sharif Floyd, who they had rated in their top 10, as he slid down the board and instead traded down to the end of the first round, where they selected center Travis Frederick.

“So I thought, yeah, we thought we could be pretty selective before we took a defensive lineman,” Jones said this week at the Senior Bowl. “But that just shows you, you can be long or feel pretty good about where you are as a team and a position and then very quickly get in a pretty compromised spot relative to injury.

“But injury is there for everybody and impacted everybody this year. And most clubs that I saw did a good job of handling the injury and compensating for it. I thought that we did a good job, but it was, relative to what we have to have – most teams do – but what we have to have in this scheme, this first-year scheme, when we were going in with Kiffin, we really needed a lot of pressure from that front seven and that front four, and we were compromised.”

In not selecting Floyd, Jones said on draft day that the Cowboys didn’t see “quick-twitch” in the player. Jones said this week that the Cowboys value both “quick-twitch” and size for their 4-3 scheme.

“Let’s say what is essential, and it’s more essential to be quick and have a real active mentality, have a very active motor in the vernacular of football, and that’s the biggest thing you look for in a defensive linemen for us,” he said.

-- Carlos Mendez
 

Simpleton

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He could've just said, "I'm an over-optimistic idiot and as such I sat on my hands with regard to the DL and so it bit us in the ass" and been done with it.

I would be fine if we spent literally every single pick on the front 7.
 
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lostxn

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He could've just said, "I'm an over-optimistic idiot and as such I sat on my hands with regard to the DL and so it bit us in the ass" and been done with it.

I would be fine if we spent literally every single pick on the front 7.
You may recall we had a bigger problem with the offensive line last year. The Frederick pick ended up being a very good one and the trade down got us another very effective young player. So far, Frederick is the better NFL player with comparison to Floyd.

Now the Escobar pick...
 

Donpingon

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Yeah, I'm happy we didn't miss out on a stud by passing on Floyd...the OL was immediately stabilized with Frederick's presence
 

Smitty

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I'm not ready to say Floyd won't be a stud.

That being said, I'm happy with Frederick.
 

Simpleton

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You may recall we had a bigger problem with the offensive line last year. The Frederick pick ended up being a very good one and the trade down got us another very effective young player. So far, Frederick is the better NFL player with comparison to Floyd.

Now the Escobar pick...
I was one of the main proponents of the trade down/Frederick pick so I have no problem with that, my problem is that we didn't draft one single DL.
 

BipolarFuk

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“We lost four of the five that we thought we were going to compete with all year long, much less initially or at periods of time, and so I didn’t anticipate that,” Jones said.
That's OK, Jer. What GM could possibly be asked to anticipate injuries? I mean, this is football after all.
 

Cowboysrock55

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He could've just said, "I'm an over-optimistic idiot and as such I sat on my hands with regard to the DL and so it bit us in the ass" and been done with it.

I would be fine if we spent literally every single pick on the front 7.
Our defense would still blow donkey dick with our safeties but I guess you can't expect to fix everything in one season. I don't think I have ever witness such epic bad play out of a safety as we saw out of Jeff Heath. QB's didn't even have to try. Just step back and throw the ball up for grabs against him and it was always a completion. The funny part about it was his tackling was also horrendous. I can't think of a single redeeming quality about the play of Jeff Heath.
 

lostxn

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Our defense would still blow donkey dick with our safeties but I guess you can't expect to fix everything in one season. I don't think I have ever witness such epic bad play out of a safety as we saw out of Jeff Heath. QB's didn't even have to try. Just step back and throw the ball up for grabs against him and it was always a completion. The funny part about it was his tackling was also horrendous. I can't think of a single redeeming quality about the play of Jeff Heath.
He was a rookie free agent. He was never meant to do anything but play special teams and then be cut after a season or two. Hard to blame anything but injuries...
 

p1_

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He could've just said, "I'm an over-optimistic idiot and as such I sat on my hands with regard to the DL and so it bit us in the ass"
Or better yet "I can't judge football talent whatsoever". That would suffice.
 

Smitty

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Our defense would still blow donkey dick with our safeties but I guess you can't expect to fix everything in one season.
We'd be ok with Church if Wilcox stepped up a bit, as long as we upgraded the DL.

Can't get by with Heath though, the guy can't play.

I don't think I have ever witness such epic bad play out of a safety as we saw out of Jeff Heath.
Despite the fact that I just said "Jeff Heath can't play" I think I disagree with your above statement. I think Lynn Scott, Tony Dixon, Alan Ball, Keith Davis, Danny McCray, etc, were possibly worse at various times.

Jeez.

We've started a lot of guys who should have been "STers only" at safety over the years.

Obviously I'm not one for heavily investing in the secondary but you'd think that we could throw a second or third round pick at it somewhere and make it stick for half a decade at least.
 

E_D_Guapo

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We'd be ok with Church if Wilcox stepped up a bit, as long as we upgraded the DL.
I suppose "we'd be OK" but a FS that can play would make a big difference. I'd definitely take a DL over a S if they were evaluated similarly but this team should be looking to upgrade at S if a top guy is available. I'm not pinning my hopes on Wilcox become a reliable starter. He was a 3rd round pick that played one year of S at a small college. He can be a backup S/ST guy until he plays out his rookie contract if they fall into someone with more pedigree.
 

ravidubey

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I was one of the main proponents of the trade down/Frederick pick so I have no problem with that, my problem is that we didn't draft one single DL.
Right. Floyd aside, it was inexcusable to avoid the position altogether. Jerry's logic is that of a coach who needs to win now, not a GM entrusted with keeping the team's talent level high.

Obviously I'm not one for heavily investing in the secondary but you'd think that we could throw a second or third round pick at it somewhere and make it stick for half a decade at least.
Safety has proven a key position on almost every great defense in recent years. They are an insurance policy for the front seven, responsible for creating turnovers in the middle of the field, and tasked with stopping the league's great TE's. Add it all together, and it's a vital position in today's NFL.
 
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Cowboysrock55

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I suppose "we'd be OK" but a FS that can play would make a big difference. I'd definitely take a DL over a S if they were evaluated similarly but this team should be looking to upgrade at S if a top guy is available. I'm not pinning my hopes on Wilcox become a reliable starter. He was a 3rd round pick that played one year of S at a small college. He can be a backup S/ST guy until he plays out his rookie contract if they fall into someone with more pedigree.
Most studly defenses have an elite safety. After DT I think safety is easily our second biggest need.

I think as we get further away from the season people forget how absolutely horrific our safety play was. It was beyond glaring. We would have plays of great pressure, everyone plays perfectly, and the QB would just throw up a hope and prayer and our safety would shit himself. This happened a lot. That can't happen in a cover two scheme. The whole point of the defense is to take away that part of the field.
 

Genghis Khan

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I was one of the main proponents of the trade down/Frederick pick so I have no problem with that, my problem is that we didn't draft one single DL.
Right, the problem isn't ignoring DL in the 1st round, it is ignoring it completely. And ignoring it in free agency.
 

Hawkeye19

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Right. Floyd aside, it was inexcusable to avoid the position altogether. Jerry's logic is that of a coach who needs to win now, not a GM entrusted with keeping the team's talent level high.



Safety has proven a key position on almost every great defense in recent years. They are an insurance policy for the front seven, responsible for creating turnovers in the middle of the field, and tasked with stopping the league's great TE's. Add it all together, and it's a vital position in today's NFL.
Kam Chancellor.

He is the wave of the future at S. Hits like a LBer, runs like a CB, is tall and strong enough to battle athletic TEs. His game is not perfect-- but he has the traits the S position needs to succeed in today's NFL.
 

junk

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Kam Chancellor.

He is the wave of the future at S. Hits like a LBer, runs like a CB, is tall and strong enough to battle athletic TEs. His game is not perfect-- but he has the traits the S position needs to succeed in today's NFL.
Kam Chancellor also gets a lot of help from a pretty great FS in Thomas too though.

If you have a good FS, it frees you up to do a lot of other things with your SS (and your coverage in general)
 

Carp

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The FS should basically serve as a 3rd CB IMO.
 

boozeman

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Kam Chancellor also gets a lot of help from a pretty great FS in Thomas too though.

If you have a good FS, it frees you up to do a lot of other things with your SS (and your coverage in general)
I agree. Chancellor is good, but if anyone thinks he's good outside of Seattle, they are crazy. Thomas makes their defense work. He is excellent.
 

dallen

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A good FS has become one of the necessary position to invest in
 
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