Blogging The Boys
Every week, we gather to discuss the latest news about the Dallas Cowboys and seek our writer’s perspective on each headline. Welcome back to the roundtable. This week we have David Howman, Tom Ryle, Jess Haynie, and Sean Martin.
Mike: It was more run-fit sloppiness than pure out-scheming, but Carolina amplified those mistakes with smart tools. The Panthers leaned on motion and condensed splits to muddy the Cowboys’ keys so the Cowboys defensive front had to declare gap responsibilities late. Dallas often sat in light, two-high structures and slanted the front, which is fine if second-level fits are clean, but the edges were late setting the force, linebackers overran cutbacks, and safeties were hesitant triggering downhill, turning three to four yard wins into seven to ten yard gains for Rico Dowdle. That being said, Dowlde also played the game perfectly and stacked another big day next to his monstrous game against Miami.
Tom: I think this is an unfortunate intersection of a bad defensive scheme and a lack of talent, particularly in the front seven. But the first to me is the most important for Dallas. The players are not completely inadequate. They just look to be in the wrong alignments with bad assignments.
Howman: I don’t think it had as much to do with scheme as it did the players just getting punked. Carolina was the more physical team and when your defensive linemen are getting pushed back and spun around, it doesn’t matter much what scheme you’re running.
Sean: In this particular case, I’ll go with poor run-fits, since the question is specific to the front seven. I think the major scheme issues were once again in the secondary. The Cowboys didn’t win off the ball, didn’t force Rico Dowdle to stop his feet in the backfield, and couldn’t bring down the powerful back in the open field either. A lot of things were bad, including run fits.
Jess: Physicality and confidence tend to go hand-in-hand, and the Cowboys lacked it on Sunday. Looked like they let the tie with Green Bay and beating the now 0-6 Jets get them a little too full of themselves, and the Panthers smacked them right in the mouth. It’s bad in so many ways, as my fellow writers have outlined. But the lack of heart was as evident as anything.
Mike: The plan to deliver heavier doses of inside zone with double teams to dent the front, then climb was sound early on. But Derrick Brown’s knockback on first contact and the Panthers’ firm backside techniques kept combos from staying on long enough. Brock Hoffman and both Cowboys’ guards got initial fits but too often lost leverage, letting the Panthers interior cross face or split the double and squeeze lanes. There were flashes from the...
