Cowboys Season Will Hinge on Defense

There’s a lot of pressure on the Cowboys to get over the perpetual 8-8 rut, and the ability for the defense to get off the field on 3rd down will be the key. Last year the Cowboys switched to the 4-3 and the results were atrocious. On paper, we had a promising lineup to make it a smooth transition, but the projected starters; Ware, Ratliff, Hatcher, and Spencer did not make it past the preseason hopes.

The 2013 defense was the worst in Cowboys history and one of the worst in NFL history as well. Fast forward to 2014 and we are not looking any better. We have a lot of hopes with Melton and McClain at the tackles position, and the starting lineup for the linebackers will likely be a gametime decision or linebacking by committee. Ever heard of that? That’s what we’re doing in Dallas.

It’s almost unfair for Defensive Coordinator, Rod Marinelli. We are asking him to work with a completely revamped defensive line, unknowns at linebacker, and a shaky secondary. But if anyone can have an impact and improve the defense, it’ll be Rod Marinelli. Even if the improvement is just a little bit, that’ll be better than what we fielded last year with Kiffin in control.

For me, I’m looking at Henry Melton to fill-in for  Jason Hatcher who had a balls out season with 11 sacks on a bad defense. Will Melton be as effective? We are hoping, but we won’t know until the season starts on Sunday.

Same deal for Terrell McClain, he’s the projected starter next to Melton, but we haven’t seen a snap from him the preseason.

Then we have Jeremy Mincey and that’ll be a serious drop off from Ware and even from DeMarcus Lawrence who was looking every bit the part until he broke his foot. We do not have a pass rush off the edge this season, not until Lawrence comes back, which will likely be week 8.

The secondary will be another point of contention and we’re talking about Morris Claiborne here. He needs to stop with the wimpyness and play ball. He’ll likely get the start opposite Carr, but we’ll be holding our breath each snap he plays. We know his story; he’s late to make plays, especially in zone coverage; he hits the ground and gets up slow; he misses practice and shows on gameday. If Claiborne struggles against the 49ers, they need to pull him at the half and put Tyler Patmon in. No more wasting time with this guy.

Last year kept Will McClay a busy man as he searched for defensive line players virtually all year long, and if we’re honest about this year, it’s off to the same start. We’re still trying to figure out who can help us on the defensive line, and still figuring out the linebackers. We’re going into the 49ers game experimenting. We are going to experiment with what players can play, injuries have been the bane of the defense.

The Cowboys first 8 games: 49ers, @Titans, @Rams, Saints, Texans, @Seahawks, Giants, Redskins

Anthony Spencer may see his first action home against the Saints or Texans, that’s probably their true goal. If we can get to the Redskins game above .500, then we can make a run. We’ll have Spencer and Lawrence back by the Redskins, which will give us a good rotation or pass rushing players. Spencer plays the run well too.

There’s a lot of hope going around, and it’ll need to manifest into reality if the Cowboys want to be in contention and have a shot at winning the NFC East. We’ll see in a few days!