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Earn That Star: "The Young'ens"

"Earn That Star" will be a series of fan posts that will focus on the pre-season. This week's post will focus on our young Defensive Ends & which have impressed the most so far.

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While Tyrone Crawford is lost for the season, this team has plenty of young D-Lineman who are fighting to make an impression on Jason Garrett & Monte Kiffin. So far all the defensive ends like George Selvie, Ben Bass, & Kyle Wilber have shined in training camp this preseason & finally got to face different competition. After one game, the Cowboys got to see which players made the most of their opportunities. I think it is clear the Cowboys FO have done a great job in acquiring talent once injuries hit and they should be pounding their chests after finding George Selvie and watching him have a monster game against the Miami Dolphins. Credit should also go to Rod Marinelli who is known to get the best out of his players by making them focus on technique & repetition. Below I will focus on the players & how I graded their performance against the Miami Dolphins in the HOF Game. The Cowboys will only have 4 days before their next preseason game against the Oakland Raiders where former Cowboy players Mike Jenkins, Alex Barron, Jamize Olawale, & Andre Gurode now reside. The grades are as follows.

Name | Position | Grade | Tackles | Sacks |

1. Ben Bass | LDE | B+ | 1 tackle | 0 sacks |

Summary: Ben Bass had a strong start to the game forcing pressure & collapsing the pocket. He recorded his first tackle after he bull rushed the Dolphins Right Tackle & caused Ryan Tannehill to scramble only to be tackled by him for a one yard gain. Unfortunately, his night was cut short after he took a hit on the knee from an onrushing Kyle Wilber late in the first quarter & did not return. According to reports, the injury was minor & he could suit up this Friday against the Oakland Raiders for the Cowboys second preseason game.

2. George Selvie | RDE | A- | 4 tackles | 2.0 sacks |

Summary: George Selvie was by far the Cowboys best defensive player on the field. After Wilber & Bass sat out, George Selvie stole the show. The Dolphins decided to start their draft pick Dallas Thomas at left tackle and it was a huge mistake against this veteran. Selvie continuously abused Thomas & recorded two sacks in relentless fashion. Here is sack one & two. Selvie demonstrated power & finesse on his moves often & was always hustling to the ball. He really has a shot at being a good rotational guy in Kiffin's 4-3 one gap scheme. He could have had three sacks but Matt Moore was able to gain one yard scrambling forward. Overall, Selvie set a high standard for himself & said in a recent interview that he really has gained confidence & thinks this is the defensive scheme that fits him.

3. Kyle Wilber | RDE | B | 2 tackles | 0 sacks |

Summary: Kyle Wilber was in my opinion very good, he faced the Dolphins left tackle Jonathan Martin & used his speed & angles to get around Martin often. What Kyle struggles with is consistency. Sometimes he will play too high & not get the dip that he has shown in previous plays, & on the other he does & forces the quarterback to get rid of the ball. Wilber only played a few snaps on Sunday so there was not too much film to study but he does look stronger & will need to continue his improvement in camp. I am not worried as he has the best d-line coach in the NFL in Rod Marinelli coaching him up.

What to Look for in the Cowboys Second Preseason Game.

- Can George Selvie continue to impress.

- Will Ben Bass start.

- Can Kyle Wilber be consistent.

- Will the young Defensive Ends improve on their run defense.

- Which Defensive End will steal the show this week.

Thanks for reading & leave your comments below - Moses

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