Bipo
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Doesn’t he keep hurting same knee? Probably shot
2025 Random Cowboys Stuff Thread
- Thread starter boozeman
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I want to say Ez or Fowler but Houston was really impressive in preseason. Kind of crazy how off the radar he was for a guy who was that good at rushing the passer.
Chocolate Lab
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I'll say Fowler, with EZ hopefully catching and passing him as he gains experience.
Houston is a good story, but who was he beating in preseason? Mostly scrubs.
Houston is a good story, but who was he beating in preseason? Mostly scrubs.
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This is true.
But he also produced 8 sacks in the regular season. So it's not like he has never beaten NFL starters.
Bipo
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He's like Williams at RB. Was good, then hurt and not good. Guess we'll see.
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Yes, but at least we got to watch him bitch slap people around in preseason. Had Jevonte played in preseason and tore it up, I'd probably be saying he is in for a bounce back season.
Bipo
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Couldn't risk Mr. 3.6 ypc getting hurt I guess.
Genghis Khan
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Keep in mind Eberflus' defenses aren't known for big pass rushing production.
With Micah, I was assuming it'd be different this year since he's so good, but now without him I wouldn't count on a whole lot of pass rush.
Here's Eberflus' defenses sack rankings each year.
Colts DC
2018: 19th (38 sacks)
2019: 16th (41 sacks)
2020: 10th (40 sacks)
2021: 26th (33 sacks)
Bears HC
2022: 32nd (20 sacks)
2023: 31st (30 sacks)
2024: 16th (40 sacks)
With Micah, I was assuming it'd be different this year since he's so good, but now without him I wouldn't count on a whole lot of pass rush.
Here's Eberflus' defenses sack rankings each year.
Colts DC
2018: 19th (38 sacks)
2019: 16th (41 sacks)
2020: 10th (40 sacks)
2021: 26th (33 sacks)
Bears HC
2022: 32nd (20 sacks)
2023: 31st (30 sacks)
2024: 16th (40 sacks)
Bipo
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Why is he considered a good DC? His scheme must be amazing against run or something.
Genghis Khan
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Turnovers mostly, also points and yards against.
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There is more to pass defense than just sacks.
Genghis Khan
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From Grok:
Indianapolis Colts (Defensive Coordinator, 2018–2021)
Eberflus ran a 4-3, Cover 2-based defense with the Colts, emphasizing discipline, run defense, and forcing turnovers over aggressive pass rushing. Here’s how his defenses ranked:
2018:
Points Allowed: 10th (21.5 PPG allowed)
Total Yards Against: 11th (339.4 YPG allowed)
Rushing Yards: 8th (101.6 YPG allowed)
Passing Yards: 16th (237.8 YPG allowed)
Turnovers: T-6th (26 turnovers forced: 15 interceptions, 11 fumble recoveries)
Context: Eberflus inherited a roster transitioning to his scheme. The defense was solid, excelling in run defense and takeaways, with a balanced approach that limited big plays.
2019:
Points Allowed: 16th (23.3 PPG allowed)
Total Yards Against: 16th (346.8 YPG allowed)
Rushing Yards: 7th (97.9 YPG allowed)
Passing Yards: 23rd (248.9 YPG allowed)
Turnovers: T-5th (23 turnovers forced: 15 interceptions, 8 fumble recoveries)
Context: The defense remained strong against the run and in forcing turnovers but struggled in pass defense due to a lack of elite secondary talent. Overall performance was slightly less consistent than 2018.
2020:
Points Allowed: 8th (22.6 PPG allowed)
Total Yards Against: 10th (332.1 YPG allowed)
Rushing Yards: 2nd (90.5 YPG allowed)
Passing Yards: 20th (241.6 YPG allowed)
Turnovers: T-7th (25 turnovers forced: 15 interceptions, 10 fumble recoveries)
Context: This was Eberflus’ best season with the Colts, with a dominant run defense led by DeForest Buckner and a top-10 scoring defense. Turnovers remained a strength, though pass defense was a relative weakness.
2021:
Points Allowed: 9th (21.5 PPG allowed)
Total Yards Against: 16th (343.2 YPG allowed)
Rushing Yards: 10th (109.1 YPG allowed)
Passing Yards: 19th (234.1 YPG allowed)
Turnovers: 2nd (33 turnovers forced: 19 interceptions, 14 fumble recoveries)
Context: The defense was elite in forcing turnovers, with Darius Leonard and others capitalizing on Eberflus’ scheme. Run defense remained strong, but pass defense and total yards were middle-of-the-pack.
Colts Summary: Eberflus’ Colts defenses were consistently strong in points allowed (9th–16th), solid in total yards (11th–16th), and elite in takeaways (2nd–7th). The scheme prioritized stopping the run (top-10 rushing defense each year) and forcing turnovers, often at the expense of aggressive pass rushing, as seen in their mid-tier sack rankings (13th–22nd, as noted in the prior response).
Grok crapped out on me so I don't have the bears tenure yet.
Indianapolis Colts (Defensive Coordinator, 2018–2021)
Eberflus ran a 4-3, Cover 2-based defense with the Colts, emphasizing discipline, run defense, and forcing turnovers over aggressive pass rushing. Here’s how his defenses ranked:
2018:
Points Allowed: 10th (21.5 PPG allowed)
Total Yards Against: 11th (339.4 YPG allowed)
Rushing Yards: 8th (101.6 YPG allowed)
Passing Yards: 16th (237.8 YPG allowed)
Turnovers: T-6th (26 turnovers forced: 15 interceptions, 11 fumble recoveries)
Context: Eberflus inherited a roster transitioning to his scheme. The defense was solid, excelling in run defense and takeaways, with a balanced approach that limited big plays.
2019:
Points Allowed: 16th (23.3 PPG allowed)
Total Yards Against: 16th (346.8 YPG allowed)
Rushing Yards: 7th (97.9 YPG allowed)
Passing Yards: 23rd (248.9 YPG allowed)
Turnovers: T-5th (23 turnovers forced: 15 interceptions, 8 fumble recoveries)
Context: The defense remained strong against the run and in forcing turnovers but struggled in pass defense due to a lack of elite secondary talent. Overall performance was slightly less consistent than 2018.
2020:
Points Allowed: 8th (22.6 PPG allowed)
Total Yards Against: 10th (332.1 YPG allowed)
Rushing Yards: 2nd (90.5 YPG allowed)
Passing Yards: 20th (241.6 YPG allowed)
Turnovers: T-7th (25 turnovers forced: 15 interceptions, 10 fumble recoveries)
Context: This was Eberflus’ best season with the Colts, with a dominant run defense led by DeForest Buckner and a top-10 scoring defense. Turnovers remained a strength, though pass defense was a relative weakness.
2021:
Points Allowed: 9th (21.5 PPG allowed)
Total Yards Against: 16th (343.2 YPG allowed)
Rushing Yards: 10th (109.1 YPG allowed)
Passing Yards: 19th (234.1 YPG allowed)
Turnovers: 2nd (33 turnovers forced: 19 interceptions, 14 fumble recoveries)
Context: The defense was elite in forcing turnovers, with Darius Leonard and others capitalizing on Eberflus’ scheme. Run defense remained strong, but pass defense and total yards were middle-of-the-pack.
Colts Summary: Eberflus’ Colts defenses were consistently strong in points allowed (9th–16th), solid in total yards (11th–16th), and elite in takeaways (2nd–7th). The scheme prioritized stopping the run (top-10 rushing defense each year) and forcing turnovers, often at the expense of aggressive pass rushing, as seen in their mid-tier sack rankings (13th–22nd, as noted in the prior response).
Grok crapped out on me so I don't have the bears tenure yet.
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Genghis Khan
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There is, but the best defenses are pressure defenses.
Chocolate Lab
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Thanks Elon!