A More Aggressive Approach to Defense

           

           With all the rule changes made in favor of the offenses in the NFL it is extremely hard to play defense. Defensive backs aren’t allowed to make any contact past five yards although most of the contact is initiated by the offensive player. Emphasis have been placed on getting to the quarterback because it’s hard to put together a good secondary to shut down passing attacks.  The basic defensive philosophies are to stop the run, prevent deep passes, and keep touchdowns off the board. With the emphasis on getting to the quarterback, coordinators have to be more creative in generating pressure.

            Every team would love to have two bookend pass rushers like Von Miller and Demarcus Ware, but it doesn’t work that way. Pass rushers are at a premium and the chances of having two good ones is rare. Most teams have one good pass rusher and then some nice rotational players around him. Then you have the Cowboys, who have struggled to find that one legit pass rusher since Demarcus Ware departed the team. Could all that be changing in Dallas? Will fans see a new improved brand of defense for the Dallas Cowboys this season?

            The Dallas Cowboys run a traditional 4-3 base defensive scheme. That means they have four down defensive line men, three linebackers, and four defensive backs. The benefits of the 4-3 scheme is having more guys up front to stop the run, setting the edges, and pushing the pocket from the outside. Four defensive linemen are supposed to prevent the coordinator from having to blitz linebackers and defensive backs. To have an effective 4-3 scheme the defensive ends have to be good at containing the run and getting to the quarterback on passing plays. Pressure is key in the 4-3 scheme because you have more big guys (defensive linemen) on the field than the smaller more athletic guys. If those big guys aren’t plugging holes, containing the run game, and getting off blocks, then the other players have to work that much harder. The success of the 4-3 starts up front with the four down linemen.

            The Dallas Cowboys switched to the 4-3 scheme in 2013 when Monte Kiffin took over as the defensive coordinator. Kiffin was the defensive coordinator for one of the best defenses in NFL history the 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The idea was that Kiffin would be able to piece together a decent enough defense to get the Cowboys over the hump. Demarcus Ware was also getting injured often and they felt that the change in scheme would protect him and linebacker Sean Lee.

            The 2013 Dallas Cowboys defense was nowhere near as good as the Bucs defense in 2002. They were missing Warren Sapp, Simone Rice, Derrick Brooks, John Lynch, and Ronde Barber. Marinelli replaced Kiffin as coordinator because the Tampa 2 scheme wasn’t effective and Marinelli would run a more flexible scheme. Since 2013, the Cowboys have had one double-digit sack player, Jason Hatcher (11) in 2013. It has been three seasons since the Cowboys have had a player with 10 or more sacks. That won’t get the job done in this defensive scheme. Pressure has to come from up front in order for the secondary to anticipate throws and jump passes. The Cowboy have been solid against the run over that time but the pressure on the quarterback is what has been lacking. Could that all change in 2017?

            Defense is all about keeping the opponents guessing. Exotic blitzes, delayed blitzes, zone blitzes are all ways to keep the quarterback on his toes. Rolling coverages and dropping linebackers and defensive ends are also great ways to bait quarterbacks into throwing the ball before he wants to. All these approaches to playing defense depends on the team personnel. If a coordinator has great players on their team then its easy to blitz 50 percent of the time because you know your secondary can hold up. It’s easier to put Kam Chancellor in the box when you have Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman playing over the top. When you’re the Dallas Cowboys you can’t afford to gamble on defense because there isn’t much trust in any unit on this defense. Taking a safety out of coverage could leave a huge opening. Blitzing a linebacker can create a passing lane for short passes. Last season we saw more big nickel (three safeties) from the Cowboys, a package used to generate more pressure on the quarterback.  

            Since 2013 the Cowboys lead the league in defensive packages featuring five or more defensive backs. These are the sub nickel or sub dime packages. The packages could include four cornerbacks and two safeties, or three cornerbacks and three safeties. Most of the NFL has shifted to sub and dime packages in an attempt to keep more athletes on the field. With the success that the passing game is having, defenses have attempted to keep more defensive backs on the field at all times. The defensive backs have to be versatile because they will be playing multiple roles on the defense. A third safety in the formation may be acting as a linebacker in run support, dropping in a robber zone over the middle, or picking up a running back or tight end in the flats. JJ Wilcox was the player that did the dirty work for the Cowboys. The Cowboys went after versatile players in this year’s draft. Their philosophy on getting to the quarterback may be changing in 2017 and it is about time.

             The Dallas Cowboys have many players on their team that offer versatility to the defensive scheme. Tyrone Crawford, Benson Mayowa, David Irving, and Maliek Collins all give the Cowboys the flexibility to play them inside or outside. Having flexible defensive linemen gives the defense the luxury of not having to take anyone off the field on third downs. Anthony Hitchens has played all three linebacker positions with the Cowboys and has been solid. Kyle Wilbur has played strong side outside linebacker and defensive end . Bryon Jones played slot corner, both outside cornerback positions, and safety in his first season with the Cowboys. Plugging in the young players from this year’s draft may help this defense take the next step.

             The Cowboys drafted Chidobe Awuzie in the second round. In college, Awuzie played cornerback and safety. In the third round, they selected Jourdan Lewis, a cornerback with the ability to play safety as well in the NFL. Both of these players add to the versatility of this defense. Combine Awuzie and Lewis with Bryon Jones and you have three players in the secondary that can play cornerback or safety depending on the offenses personnel. The Cowboys also get three very athletic players that can match up well with wide receivers and tight ends. Having more athletes on the field allows the defense to confuse the quarterback by dropping a safety or bringing him on the blitz.

            The Cowboys had three sacks in that playoff game against the Packers. Not one of those sacks came from a member of the front four. All three sacks came from a member of the secondary. Three sacks in a game is a good number but having to blitz a corner in order to get those sacks, leaves the defense vulnerable on the backside. Against a good quarterback like Aaron Rodgers that can get you burnt. an aggressive change to the defense is what the Cowboys had to do in order to stop the Packers. Could we see more of this aggressive approach?

            If the Cowboys are able to find a player to give them 10-12 sacks this season then there will be no need to get more aggressive with blitzes. Bringing pressures is never a bad thing, but the Cowboys will have to be careful not to be reckless. The only way I see them hiding those young defensive backs and that questionable defensive front is bringing pressure. The Cowboys will have to get more aggressive than they were last season. They blitzed on 20% of their defensive snaps. The league average was 30%. Jumping to 30% in one off season would be a stretch. It would be more reasonable to see them raise the number to around 25%. With the additions on defense, they now have a solid secondary and an improved pass rush. There still isn’t one player that will give them 10 sacks so they will have to bring pressure in order to get to the quarterback. The youth in the secondary will give them more athleticism and aid in an aggressive approach. The inexperience will hurt them on the back end, but the tradeoff may be worth it. The Cowboys have some tough quarterbacks to play this season. Sitting back and letting them pick this defense apart isn’t an option. They will have to get after those guys early and often. If they can’t get 10 sacks from one player, then they better have at least 5 sacks from six or seven players. The pass rush has been the Cowboys biggest issue on defense. If they can’t solve it with one player then it’s time to make it a team effort and unleash the horses.