Marcus Spears: Will he turn the corner this year?
by Tuna Helper on Sep 13, 2008 9:56 PM CDT
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PrintMarcus Spears gets a lot of grief on this site. He deserves it. He was a high draft pick with expectations of greatness -- or at least productivity. He has not been either.
That being said, I've heard several times, by several sources, that he had a good training camp. He did make one good play in the last week's game but that was about it. So there's been mixed reviews but that's better than the "all-bad" reviews I'm used to seeing. Spears says it's because he's a changed man.
IRVING – Marcus Spears' biggest off-season acquisition may have been a new iPhone. Now, he can scroll through photos of his 18-month-old daughter Macaria at a moment's notice.And there's plenty of storage for more photos when his second child arrives in April.
Family has taken center stage in Spears' life at a time when the 25-year-old defensive end is entering an important phase of his NFL career. The former first-round pick wants to show the Cowboys he's worth a contract extension, even if it means playing a new position.
Spears said a reaffirmation of his faith has given him a new outlook on life and football. He attends church at the Potter's House and soaks up every word from Bishop T.D. Jakes.
Some are fretting over the lack of sacks in our first game. We actually had a good number of sacks last year and it's important to duplicate that success this year. Clarence Hill is all in a tizzy about the one sack we got in Cleveland.
A year after registering 46 sacks to rank third in the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys kicked the season off with one paltry sack against Cleveland.Reasons abound for the team’s lack of pressure, including the decision to split linebacker Greg Ellis wide as a bump-and-run defender on tight end Kellen Winslow. That left Pro Bowl linebacker DeMarcus Ware as the team’s primary rusher, playing in the hands of a blocking scheme designed to stop him.
Against Philadelphia and quarterback Donovan McNabb on Monday, reasons/excuses will not be good enough.
I think we'll be fine. We have too many pass rushers to not eventually get to the QB. I'm more interested in the flow of the game than statistics. Against the Browns, we dominated the tempo of the game and never really felt challenged despite the lack of sacks. I'll take that any day over a 5-sack game.
Cricket decides to stop a disgusting habit. Hilarity ensues.
Mac Engel makes the argument that we don't need another receiver as long as we have T.O. But since he's the engine that makes our receiving corps go, we should be extra careful with him when the game is out of hand.
Point well taken. But injuries happen dude. You just gotta play the game. The Patriots were running up the score left and right last year and they didn't have any significant injuries and then the first game of the year they have a catastrophic injury. You just gotta let the big boys play in my opinion. Let the dice fall where they may.
T.O. shares some of his workout regimen.
Tom Landry went out like a champ. Another great installment of the Old 'Boys Club.
Tom Landry’s 250th NFL regular-season victory also was his last.
It came Dec. 11, 1988, at Washington. The Dallas Cowboys brought a 10-game losing streak into RFK Stadium. Only their pride was at stake that day.
The Redskins were a different story. They were the defending Super Bowl champs who desperately needed to win this game, which ultimately came down to a Michael Downs deflection of a fourth-down Doug Williams pass in the end zone.
It was a doubly great day for Cowboys fans. Their team got a rare win 24-17, and the Redskins were mathematically eliminated from the playoff picture.
Miles Austin is hoping to play Monday and T-New is a gametime decision.
McNabb has played well at Texas Stadium. We must get pressure on him. If we don't, we're dead. We also have to be concerned about his mobility -- something he hurt us with last December.
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lack of sacks
What Hill seems to totally ignore is the team and QB we were playing against. Derek Anderson had only 14 total sacks against him last year. Less than 1 per game on average. So getting 1 sack against Anderson is actually above the league average last year! I think he was the least sacked QB in the league. It is well known that his style is to get rid of the ball quickly, and he has a good o-line protecting him.
But Hill (and Engel) fail to provide any of this context in their concern for lack of sacks.
Also, Rat did have 2 QB hits and Tank and Zach each had 1. Some of these pressures caused hurried throws resulting in incomplete passes.
Of course I’d love to have more than 1 sack per game, but I’m not worried about it when you look at it in context (and note how they rendered the offense ineffective despite a lack of sacks).
They allowed 5 sacks in the first game of the season
when Charlie Frye was starting, so maybe that accounts for the disparity. Maybe not, don’t know.
+1
"They need security in the world, Craig!"
by Tuna Helper on Sep 13, 2008 10:43 PM CDT up reply actions
JFE is all about drama
So she had to find something to complain about in our complete dismantling of a ‘playoff contender’.
He was a high draft pick with expectations of greatness — or at least productivity. He has not been either
So i guess him being a solid run stuffer is underachieving to you? Of course he won’t get alot of sacks, DEs in the 3-4 scheme do not rack up sacks -that is the OLB’s job. It’s funny how Canty plays more downs than Spears but yet only managed to get one more sack than Spears last year. It’s not like we are the Patriots with 3 outstanding pass rushing DEs.
Now if Spears really wants to head in the right direction then he needs to stop listening to “Pastor” T.D. Jakes -that man is a prosperity pimp. Just let the words in the Bible speak to you Marcus and not man. God Bless you Brother.
~Texas Massacre 08~
Canty was a 4th-rounder
Obviously, there is a difference in expectations. Also, there was an empirical improvement in Canty’s play last season, wheareas Spears was most visible for piling on and then showboating to take credit for the tackle.
Spears is still very good against the run, so he gets leeway. And I thought he had a great camp, so maybe this is the year he lives up to his draft status. In any case, as far as 1st-rounders go, he’s miles ahead of Carpenter.
31 teams may dream of the Superbowl but only one team, the Dallas Cowboys, expect it.
by accidental innuendo on Sep 14, 2008 5:11 AM CDT up reply actions
Canty was a projected 1st rounder that dropped because of injuries
So yea we got him in the 4th. He was 1st round talent.
I’m sorry Tuna but I think you assessment is too narrow sighted. EVERYONE complains about Spears because of the lack of sacks. Like has been said above, DE’s in the 3-4 aren’t supposed to get huge sack numbers. If they do, it’s a big plus. Their main objective is to eat up blockers and stuff the run, allowing our LB’s to run free and make the big highlight reel plays.
I for one hope we resign Spears. He has been pretty good in his role. Room for improvement? Sure. But name me one player in the NFL who doesn’t have room for improvement.
i'll give you that...
i just don’t think you draft a SOLELY run-stopper in the first round. not only does he not get sacks. but the negative plays. the knifing into the backfield for a loss of two yards and similar plays. that’s what really bothers me. i don’t think anyone would argue he hasn’t been a gamechanger. regardless of sacks or not. he just hasn’t been the catalyst we thought we were getting. my two cents.
but your point is well taken. i think the scheme has a big role to play in it as well.
"They need security in the world, Craig!"
Obviously...
I knew the 4th-rounder mention would make it’s appearance. I do understand you will find gems in later rounds i.e. Barber, Burnett, Choice, Scandrick, Witten etc. Just because Spears is a 1st rounder does it really mean he has produce like a DE would in a 4-3? Many DEs in the 3-4 are not pass rushers but instead blockers for the LBs to make plays.
As long as Spears continues to excell as a run stopper -he won’t hear a peep from me. We have too many pass rushers as it is with Ware, Ellis, Spencer, Williams, Ratliff, Johnson, Hamlin(whenever he gets the opportunity), Scandrick(Yes i said it) and possibly Canty as well. Heck throw in James and Thomas as well, who i think both will excell in blitzing through the middle.
~Texas Massacre 08~
You can NEVER have enough pass rushers!!!
Spears catches a lot of grief and deservedly so for opening his fat mouth last year and then failing to back up the talk. He is good and solid and does seem to have some ability to be disruptive. On the other hand Canty while only having one more sack had a lot more pressures.
Don't forget
The Patriots were running up the score left and right last year and they didn’t have any significant injuries and then the first game of the year they have a catastrophic injury. You just gotta let the big boys play in my opinion. Let the dice fall where they may.
Tom Brady had a high ankle sprain before the Super Bowl…
Cowboys fan since 1978.. I was 3 years old
last year when hatcher played more for spears.....
against the redskins…..portis rushed for over 100yrds…anybody that dog’s spears, is the type of person that can only think 1 step ahead…..he’s doing exactly, 100% what he’s supposed to do…stop the run 1st, stop the run 2nd, then let the pass rushers do their thing…..it’s like bitching that flozell’s not taking out enough safeties….just not his job….it’s like the army say’s “if it’s not broke, paint it green”.
I don't need a compass to know which way the wind shines....
Simple truth
Spears has played well against the run at DE. Is that all you expect out of a 20th overall draft pick? If your answer is yes, then I guess you were also a fan of Ekuban when he played for Dallas.
He hasn’t gotten enough pressure or been disruptive enough to justify anyone call him worth the pick. He doesn’t need to get 5 sacks a season (although it would be nice), how about forcing fumbles, batting down passes, tackles for loss.
I’m tired of people trying to make the fans that notice his lack of play-making ability feel ignorant by throwing out same argument, “you’re not going to have a DE in a 3-4 get many sacks”. We know already. But he should be much more than just be a good run stopper.
T-New, shutting down WR's for Dallas since 2003
just chaulk it up as another BP blunder...oh well...
A true diehard Cowboys fan since 1975.
"If you don’t take him off the field as a coach, he will just about die out there," Jerry Jones said. "That impacted my decision. It’s a Michael Irvin-type work ethic. That’s what we are talking about with Felix Jones."
- Owner/G.M of the Dallas Cowboys , Jerry Jones
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