DeMarcus Ware Defends Anthony Spencer

always nice to get insight from the players, especially a dware type…

i hope we can work a contract out… keep him, but don’t franchise him… it’ll be interesting to see how much other teams will drive up his price

But if not, I think they will conclude they have no choice but to franchise him. Butler or a rookie will not be as productive next season no matter what JimmyK says.

I don’t think it will be automatic that he will resign especially if that is true.

you guys are absolutely nuts if you listen to what players say for about 10 different reasons.

the biggest, hugest, reason that shouldn’t have to be mentioned reason is they’re not unbiased. they’re the opposite of unbiased. they’re the most biased you can get outside of the more rabid fans on BTB.

they badly want to believe that they’re all-pros, that they give 100% every play, that they’re real Super Bowl contenders every year, etc etc etc.

you want good analysis … go ask a smart denver broncos or KC chiefs fan what they think of Anthony Spencer. Someone who isn’t invested in the outcome who can give you an objective assessment.

1) I like the article Tom. It’s good to see DeMarcus Ware stick up for a teammate, kind of showing Hatcher how to lead by example-showing support for a teammate whose under intense scrutiny by the public,

2) I disagree with Ware however. If anyone watched the Giants win the SB they showed you don’t need to have the league’s best run defense to do so. It’s all about sacking the QB, protecting your QB, winning the turnover battle, winning on third down, and winning in the redzone. It’s not rocket science. Teams talk about running the ball more and stopping the run because that’s a cliché which the mainstream media latches on too quite easily.

3) Regardless of a team’s defensive philosophy, you better have a DT/NT who can blow up the interior oline, and have playmakers in the secondary (both S and CB) who can defend the pass, and intercept the ball. Without those two things, I don’t care if you have DeMarcus Ware or if you hold teams below 4 yards a carry, you’re not winning a SB.

we need to keep getting better – then Spencer has to go, last yr was a contract yr for him, we have seen his ceiling.

What does Anthony Spencer bring to the table?
he is a good runstopper, adequate in coverage, and below average in passrushing. I think we can all agree on that.

so considering that, what is that worth in today league? considering the NFL in moving to a pass first mentality, is a below average pass rusher, that is adequate in coverage worth paying almost 9 million per year? IMO no.

however, Spencer effectively plays two positions in the Dallas Defense, 3-4 LOLB and 4-3 LDE. Both of these positions require different “skill sets” as Dallas uses both Differently…as a 3-4 LOLB he is required to drop in coverage, set the edge against the run, and rush the passer. As a 4-3 LDE Rushing the passer become the primary purpose, but he still has to “set the edge” in case it is a run.

Now here is where it get tricky. Dallas with Ware is playing what amounts to a 4-3 out of a 3-4 alignment. Which means that Spencer effectively becomes a 4-3 LOLB, when Dallas is in its 3-4 alignment. But If Dallas goes to a 4-3, Dallas moves Spencer to the 4-3 LDE spot.

So how does Dallas upgrade from Anthony Spencer? He is a 4-3 DE in certain situations, and a 4-3 LOLB in others. Which is the root of the problem(IMO). Spencer is playing to completely different positions that require him to play completely different. But to upgrade from Anthony Spencer, Dallas would have to play two different people in the positions that Spencer currently plays, OLB and DE.

so how much would it cost Dallas to pay TWO players to play the OLB and DE positions at the level that Anthony Spencer plays them…..there is the heart of the issue….IMO

if the cost is less than what Spencer is going to cost you wave Goodbye to Spencer, saying"don’t let the door hit you where the Good Lord Split you".

If it is more, then you franchise Spencer then work out a long term Deal….end of discussion.

Anything more and he’s gone. Personally, for the role Spencer fills…I believe Spencer is a good player. He certainly doesn’t have the sack total we’d all like but that’s not his role.

Spencer is a very good run stopper, is adequate in pass coverage, and can get good pressure on the QB if asked to. Good pressure…but not a lot of sacks.

I subscribe to the thought that Spencer isn’t going to be easily replaced. Ain’t happening.

Seems the Patriots are content with letting him walk. Dont think he’s an every down guy playing OLB in the 3-4, but the guy can straight up get to the quarterback. 10 sacks last year I think. It would be nice to have another rusher, Spencer or no Spencer, draft pick or no draft pick.

As long as we continue to sign average players we can never hope to achieve greatness. Let him walk and let’s spend that 8 mill on a real player or two.

“Spencer knows the defense, we can’t just replace him.”

“Elam knows Ryan’s defense, he should come back and teach it.”

“We should sign Mike Adams in FA, he’s the 23rd best safety in the NFL, and he knows Ryan’s system!”

Great, while we’re at it, we should make a trade with the Jets for Vladimir Ducasse and his 13 wonderlic score because afterall, he knows Callahan’s blocking schemes and he can teach it to Doug Free and Tyron Smith!

what’s the problem?

“He drops a lot and you see a lot of pass breakups and a lot of tackles for loss, so he’s making a lot of plays for us but they are subtle plays. He’s a solid player we need to keep.”

If we can keep him for four years @ 5-6 mil a year, why not? He’s finishing his prime years.

I really love the draft and when free agency starts but that dead time leading up to it just kills me. That is all.

Other teams are interested – and they are using the negative comments about Spencer in the media and places like here as part of their argument for him to sign with them.

He is seen as a better player by other teams than we see him here. He is probably going to be playing somewhere else next year, and that is not necessarily a good thing. If the team winds up with less production from his replacement, well, then I guess we might learn to be careful of what we wish for.

“A good football player can impact a game in a lot more ways than just how many sacks he has,” said executive VP Stephen Jones. “Pressure is important … but you also pay for good football players. And I think Anthony fits in that mold.” Jones’ comments are the latest piece of evidence suggesting Spencer will be hit with the franchise tag.

“It’s obviously usually a pretty decent [salary] number and it’s not a cap-friendly deal,” said Cowboys Executive VP Stephen Jones of the franchise tag. “But at the same time it allows you some protection.”

No wonder this team is 8-8. Quotes like this greatly dim the faith I’ve had in Stephen Jones being a sober decision-maker.

What if we let Spencer go and his replacement gets 10 sacks on the year but can’t cover on passing downs and can’t stop the run? Instead of throwing at us, teams will just run on us all day. Making our defense get tired and keeping our offense off the field. If Spencer is doing what he’s supposed to do, you don’t give up on that. You improve other areas of the rush (NT & DL). Improve those areas and Spencer will benefit with more sacks and still be able to cover the pass and stop the run.

As for franchising him, I doubt that’s what they do unless they know or expect more money in the cap next season to be able to offer him a good deal. Otherwise you offer him his worth now and save those extra 2 mil for other players. Plus I think SJ has contracts in mind that he can restructure which will increase the salary cap over $20 mil. JJ said he worked a miracle last year, so I know SJ can get very creative.

is as bad as people say he is, but I certainly don’t think he should be paid like he is a top OLB. I would rather roll with Butler and a rookie like Curry, Perry, Upshaw or Ingram, and put that 8 mil toward Carr + OG + a Center.

Could be the entire D suffered because of that. That didn’t seem to hold for the 49ers though, as their D got much better.