3-4 DE with number 9, why?

Do it

maybe JJ Watt too, but if we like him then I would prefer to trade down and get an extra pick in the 2nd or 3rd.

Jordan will probably be slotted about where Dallas sits.

I feel exactly the same way. Hatcher and Spears are better than all but Fairley, Bowers, and maybe Jordan. I see it as a waste to use the #9 on the other 3-4 DE. I would much rather trade down to get an extra pick and then get the best OLinemen available (who will certainly play better than Colombo and likely to try harder than Bigg).

Great job. You really did your homework with this one and it’s clear you know what you’re talking about. I guess we just disagree on the unknown and I have to admit that my own optimism can get in the way.

Wouldn’t Spencer be more effective if the QB had to leave the pocket and run to his side?

The problem is that you would need to rush with 5 guys, the 3 DLineman and both OLBs. I don’t want more of that, I want less, it’s a clear sign of the problems that the Cowboys have, throw the whole kitchen to get consistent pressure and they dink and dunk you to death.

And with the Cowboys tackling some of those dinks became Chuck Norris kind of hits.

Hey, I have expressed my thoughts already in my anti- 3-4 DE in round one post. That being said, I am very intrigued by Cameron Jordan. I watched some of his highlights, and I was very imressed. I just don’t know how he would do in our 3-4. He’s only 285, so I have some concerns with that. Also, I still think that it’s best to address our other needs earlier and address DE in round 3 or later. Who knows. We’ve just seen it so many times that early 3-4 ends turn out to be solid players at best and nothing special. We’ve also seen that a lot of really good 3-4 ends have been found in late rounds of the draft.

To really bad this year.

I wanted better, wanted improvement, didn’t wanted this to be worse… They were so bad that they became more predictable, teams started throwing in 1st and 2nd downs with one WR and 2 TEs sets for short yardage and they started running the ball on 3rd downs against the Nickel and Dime.

In 2009 and 2008 they had a 2010 Steelers kind of line, steady, nothing to write home about, but they were OK, Ratliff brought consistent pressure while Spears and Olshansky showed some push.

Actually, even the old time 2-gap teams run a one-gap scheme for the most part right now, look at the video of Grantham and then look at how the Patriots play.

You can see some highlights in NFL.com, for example this play: Wilfork

That’s one-gap 4 man front with 2 DLine players.

You can also look at some highlights of Mike Wright (5.5 sacks).

He is a 1 gap DT that rarely lines up heads up with an OL.

With the Cowboys, that’s extremely rare, for example: I can’t remember seeing Ratliff heads up with an OLineman in one snap. One.

Jordan seems mighty small to be truly effective

6-4 and 285 is small? Ok, you know which team likes size in their players? The Steelers. And their most productive DLineman in 2010 was Brett Keisel, a player in his 9th year that has this measurables: 6-5 and 285.

And those guys use a lot of 2-gaping, more than the Patriots.

You can play the position with technique and quickness, size would be helpful, but it isn’t the definitive factor. You can ask Bruce Smith if that’s the truth.

Pittsburgh had 8.5 sacks from down 3, NY Jets had 8.5 from down 3, SD had 11. Only GB had a lot of sacks from their down 3 with 14.5. 3-4 with most of these team the NT had more sacks than the De’s.

Cowboys had 8.5 sacks from their down 3 too. Funny no?

One point to LiLGiT and the NFL page, one negative point to Football Reference.

And if you can get a linebacker that can cover, support the run, and rush the passer then you’re maximizing your impact :)

But you really have to tell me, why is it that the 2010 guys couldn’t do it? Because they can’t?

From 2007 to 2009 Bradie James averaged 4 sacks per year (his year with 8 sacks, 2008, inflate the numbers). And Brooking in his first year in Dallas had 3.

And in 2010 they could only muster 1 sack? Which is also a year in which the DLine struggled? I don’t believe in coincidences, not when we talk Football, the epitome of team sport.

I’m ok with the rest of the secondary, but Ball? Please. Drop/cut/bury/whatever, but don’t let him on the field in a Cowboys uni again.

I bet our secondary suddenly looks a whole lot better. Too bad we need so much help on the O line cuz add a safety or LB in the 2nd-3rd round and I think this D looks much more stout.

Actually, I would even say that it’s the Cowboys biggest need, but this is a poor OLine crop, so poor that I can’t find a big dropoff between a 1st Round prospect like Sherrod and a second round prospect like Love.

Meanwhile, there’s also a huge need to improve the team pass rush, this draft is deep in DLineman that can play the 3-4, has a really talented top and as far as I can see there’s a drop off between the top guys and the 2nd Round prospects.

So, I’ll take the BPA that can solve a need.

If you disagree with this point of view, it’s OK, we also want OLineman, CBs or Safeties, because they would be helpful, we’re just stating our opinion on how something needs to be done for the pass rush.

Nice write up. I especially like the part where you talk about how little our ILB did this year to help our pass rush (especially if you consider how often Wade used to blitz them).

However, I think you are WAY off base on Bowen. He is good at rushing the passer, his issue is playing more stout against the run (the same issue all the passrush/light weight DEs will have in a 3-4). If you look at the size of the DE’s playing for those playoff teams you mention that get pressure with just 3 down linemen, I think you will see most are 3-down players and few are 270lbs speed-pass rushers. I think the best at it are the Packers and the Ravens. Take a look at the size of their 3-down linemen. The Steelers can bring the pressure, but rarely do they only bring 3 linemen.

But no one runs a 2-gap scheme only by now.

Not the Patriots or anyone from Belichick’s tree, they may combine both concepts in certain snaps (for example, a 2-gap NT surrounded by 1-gap DEs, one OLB and one ILB), but they keep changing the way in which they play.

I’m on board if someone comes in here and tries to apply the same ideas, I just want an improved push from the DLine.

“No elite edge rusher has emerged from any round of the NFL Draft since at least 1999 with a short shuttle slower than 4.42 seconds” — FFO on SackSeeker formula for predicting sack artist talent here