Defenive Packages: For the Cowboys, is about more than just 11 starters

We have heard it all, for example, the Cowboys like to Draft backups. But, is there something wrong with the team perspective or what? Some would like to argue that yes, there is something wrong with it, but things aren't that simple, and especially with a Defense as versatile as the one that Wade leads.

Some time ago I made a post talking about the versatility of the Cowboys packages and this is another one that takes into consideration some of the things that I saw last year.

The Nickel and Dime.

The Cowboys run a 3-4 base package, but it's a 3-4 that looks a lot like the 3-4 that Bill Belichick used to run on his way to his team Super Bowl titles, a defense that will change depending on the offensive packages in front of them, from the base 3-4, to pass rushing 42s, 41s or 33s.

But, the guys in the base package are enough to make all those change-ups work?

No. Terence Newman is the player with the highest number of defensive snaps with 1127 (he wasn't in for every snap, he missed some, so the real number should be closer to 1150), followed closely by Anthony Spencer (1112) and Demarcus Ware (1093 - neck injury). Those are starters, duh.

But,  Igor Olshansky and Marcus Spears started every game and only accumulated 648 and 535 snaps, while a backup player like Orlando Scandrick, the 3rd string CB, accumulated 640 snaps. And he's just an example, I'll list the most important backups:

• Stephen Bowen, 3rd string DE, 478.
• Bobby Carpenter, 3rd string ILB, 478.
• Jason Hatcher, 4th string DE, 386.
• Alan Ball, 4th string CB/3rd string S, 306.

Meanwhile, a starter and one of the team best players, Jay Ratliff, played in 851. Up from the 694 that he played in the previous year. What's the difference? For one, Tank Johnson had a bit of more potential, and in another hand, that team had Greg Ellis and Anthony Spencer in the OLB positions, so the team could play more 4 and 5 man fronts than the 2009 lineup without missing a beat.

The schemes:

I saw two main variations of the Nickel schemes and both included a lot of movement before the snap. The first one would be the classic 42 scheme with 4 down lineman, 2 coverage LBs with gap responsabilities (blitz or run support), 3 CBs and 2 Safeties (either both deep or with one deep and the other covering a TE).

The second Nickel package would look like a 33 package in the first impression but before the snap would have either one or both OLBs in a standing position at the edges of the OLine, giving the impression of a 42 or 51. Most of the sacks when the rusher reached the QB without being touched came from this package. OLineman had real troubles adjusting to the changes. In these scheme the lone ILB and the NT are supposed to be in the same page, the NT is still a one gapper, but he's supposed to attack his designed gap at the last moment, while the ILB has to change his responsability for the other gap.

And the third alternate package is the dime, which is a 41 package with 2 CBs and 2 Safeties in cover-4, and 2 CBs that take shorter routes (which tend to be the guys inside, Scandrick and Newman were usually the guys inside, while Jenkins and Ball took the outside receivers with deep help).

What do I think that they think about the 2010 season?

I can't help but notice that the Nickel CB played in more snaps than any of the other usual suspects in these packages and I also can't help but look at guys that aren't perfect fits for this kind of packages, so I'll give this a deeper look:

• Keith Brooking: The guy looks like a Wade's ILB, the guy is always on the move, even when he's reading the play, he's smart and he knows where he's supposed to be when dropping in zone coverage. But the guy isn't young anymore, he isn't fluid in his change of directions and his top gear leaves a lot to be desired.
• Bradie James: Bill Parcells is known for making robots out of some of his players, Bradie James is one of them. From time to time he's going to give the impression that he's still playing in a Parcells scheme, as in wait-wait-read-react. Look at Brooking, he's move-move-read-attack. After year 3 in Wade's tenure James is still an average fit and he isn't getting any younger.
  
• Bobby Carpenter: You can't play scared. That's a line that the coaches would usually yell at Bobby. From time to time, a player like Newman would be forced to clean up his mess and a veteran like him was more than willing to give him a longer than desired stare mixed in with some words. He's another guy that would wait-wait-read-react, but for wronger reasons...

The thing is, how can you use more of these packages when you don't have complete trust in the ILBs? I can see that Wade wants to develop his ILBs and he's going to use them.

And how do you give Ratliff some more rest? I know, Sean Lissemore is looked like a Ratliff starter kit and that's the main thing, Ratliff wasn't a NT or DE in his rookie year, not even in his 2nd year. The guy was a pass rushing DT in 4 man fronts. I remember seeing him lining up right next to La'Roi Glover and Chris Canty. And Tank Johnson was used in pretty much the same way, I can't remember seeing him in a straight up 3 man front...

I'm thinking that the number of snaps for some of the starters will continue to drop closer to 50% and some of the backups will play their half, it's all about keeping Offensive Coordinator guessing, it's all about using your player right and where they fit.

BTW.

Last season I couldn't see the 46 scheme or the Cowboys package as those were used in the 2008 season, with the development of the 2 second year OLBs (Victor Butler and Brandon Bennett) and the younger and more athlethic ILBs you should expect a return of those packages.