SPORTSDAY

Posted by Mike @ 3:23 PM Tue, Jan 23, 2007

No...some have said that they have the personel and would be more effective in a 4-3. I think they're deepest position is DL and they could have a fresh DL with the lineman they have. I would rather have D.Ware and Ellis always going towards the QB then away, Canty might be a Leon Lett style of player, and Carpenter is used to the 4-3.

Posted by JP @ 3:25 PM Tue, Jan 23, 2007

Get back to the 4-3. We started blending the scheme in towards the end of the season and the Seattle game.

The only thing that upset me was Bill's refusal to adjust to an opponents 3-Wide set (i.e. New Orleans, Philly) by staying in our base 3-4 and not going to the Nickel D. Hopefully the next coach will make the proper adjustments and leave their hopes resting on Roy Williams and #56's coverage skills.

Posted by emrdog, @ 3:25 PM Tue, Jan 23, 2007

please go back to the 4-3. ware will be fine at DE, and Ellis likes DE better anyway!!!

Posted by Paul @ 3:28 PM Tue, Jan 23, 2007

I agree that coming up with a front 4 wouldn't be a problem. How would the linebackers do?

The Cowboy's 4-3 called for fast linebackers who could cover and had a nose for the ball. How would our current linebackers do in that system? Are there other ways of running a 4-3 that our linebackers would be a better fit for?

Posted by Troy @ 3:36 PM Tue, Jan 23, 2007

But to switch back would require more time for the players to adjust and another season or so to get the kind of linebackers needed in the 4-3. We can win in the 3-4 with the players we have, I see no reason to switch back.

Posted by Ben @ 3:36 PM Tue, Jan 23, 2007

Can you please tell JJT on DMN this! It drives me insane reading his "Cowboys are better suited to 3-4". I do not believe this is the case. Ware and Ellis make good bookends and spears and canty good DT's. When they played the 4-3 they were better.. go watch the games. Carpenter is also a good pass rusher, so he is a blitzer.

Posted by gpaq @ 3:36 PM Tue, Jan 23, 2007

No. You play to your strengths. It looks like the 'Boys have better personnel for a 4-3.

Posted by Robert @ 3:37 PM Tue, Jan 23, 2007

So throw two years of player personnel out the door because fans and media don't understand 3-4 football and have nostalgia for the 4-3?

I guess we are cutting Ayodele and Carpenter to make way for those light and speedy LB while cutting Fergie and hoping Canty and Spears become penetrating DTs. Also, light a candle and say a prayer for Ellis' Achilles since he is critical to the plan.

No wonder Knight called you guys morons.

Posted by David V @ 3:38 PM Tue, Jan 23, 2007

Back to 4-3. Ware and Ellis!

Posted by Hungu @ 3:38 PM Tue, Jan 23, 2007

Are you serious? I'm not saying it can't be done, but if the "prevailing opinion" was that it would be "no problem" to shift players into positions they haven't played since college (or ever) and field an effective defense from the get-go, then the participants in this discussion are either moronic or laughably presumptuous. Better to leave the heavy lifting to the football people, journos.

Posted by Gary Mc @ 3:41 PM Tue, Jan 23, 2007

I would stick with the 3-4. NE, SD, NYJ and PIT all had good success using a more aggressive version. Why can't the Cowboys get a DC that will zone blitz a little more? SD and NE were 1-2 in sacks this year and the Pats don't even have a premium pass rusher at OLB. I think the Dallas D could be special if they were turned loose.

Posted by Brian @ 3:42 PM Tue, Jan 23, 2007

No,I think from hearing the players make comments that they would prefer playing a 4-3 scheme.They have some young defensive lineman that would benefit from playing in attacking scheme instead of a read and react scheme like the 3-4 they played the past two seasons.

Posted by Rob @ 3:43 PM Tue, Jan 23, 2007

I would like to see them go back to the 4-3. Ware played end in college he would need to gain a little weight.

Posted by SweetJimmy @ 3:43 PM Tue, Jan 23, 2007

I don't care what the scheme is-- personally I like a Defense that can morph to whatever is needed. (See New England) I want a coach who comes in- evaluates the talent and comes up with a scheme to best utilize that talent. If that means playing a 3 LineMan, 3 Linebacker, 4 DB, and 1 Rover (aka Roy Williams)- then do that. But let your player's talent dictate the scheme you use!

Posted by DougO @ 3:46 PM Tue, Jan 23, 2007

Ware is a defensive end, and should be rushing the passer on ALL PASSING DOWNS, rather than chasing receivers half the time. He's basically a younger, faster Jason Taylor.

The 4-3 makes the most sense. Spears could play either strong end or tackle, or really anywhere on the line. Canty is also quite versatile. With Ellis and Ratliff alternating on one end, the Cowboys would FINALLY have the bookend DEs they needed all these years to have a dominant 4-3.

Besides that, I believe the linebackers Dallas has NOW would be better off in the 4-3, particularly James and Burnett, who seems lost in this defense. Carpenter might find his nich, also. He's not cutting it outside in the 3-4.

Posted by John @ 3:48 PM Tue, Jan 23, 2007

I think that YES. We have to stay with the 3-4. It fits our personnel, and it schemes much better. Case in point. Not including this super bowl, 5 out of the last 6 super bowl champs are 3-4 defenses. It is better against the run. It doesn't open up the 15 yard underneath gap like the 4-3 Tampa 2 does. We just need someone in here who knows how to scheme it and gameplan it based on your opponent. Kind of like what Bill Belichick does. Three (3) that come to mind are: Rex Ryan, Rob Ryan, and Pepper Johnson.

Posted by DougO @ 3:50 PM Tue, Jan 23, 2007

One more thing to think about. What did 3-4 guru Bill Belichick do when he played our arch division rival Eagles in the Superbowl a couple of years ago?

HE SWITCHED TO A 4-3 SET!!!

And Ayodele can play anywhere he wants. He's a bad dude.

Posted by Ed @ 3:53 PM Tue, Jan 23, 2007

Players make schemes, schemes don't make players. We can play either scheme, so whatever the coach wants to run we can do it. In a 4-3, you put Jason Hatcher and DeMarcus Ware at end and play Spears and Fergie at DT. At the Lb spot, you play Bradie in the middle, with Carpenter and Adoyele on the outside. You would have a good DT rotation with Canty and Ratliff.

Posted by Ben @ 4:04 PM Tue, Jan 23, 2007

Why not? Bobby Carpenter began to show that he's going to be an excellent LB. Throw in James, Ayodele, and let's not forget good ol' Al Singleton, and you've got a good LB core.

BUT... I don't think we should switch just because we don't like how Tuna did it, or out of spite to him. Let the new coach install what he feels is best.

Posted by Darren Lewis @ 4:04 PM Tue, Jan 23, 2007

If we wanted we could put out 2 OLB at DE and have our chioce at LB w/ Carp, Burnette, Ayodelle, and James. We also could have depth at DL w/Hatcher, Spears, Canty, and Coleman. Now which ever style we pick we Must get pressure on the QB, that makes our corners, safties, and LBs in coverage jobs much easier.

Posted by LARRY @ 4:09 PM Tue, Jan 23, 2007

Ed, you have a point but based on your comments I would say the cowboy's personnel may actually still be more suited for the 4-3. I like the line up you propose. They might have excess linebackers on the roster now with the switch to the 4-3 but you keep the best and move on.

Posted by James @ 4:09 PM Tue, Jan 23, 2007

They have invested 2 off seasons invested in getting the personel for a 3-4. They have the personel for it to work! Look at the Indy game, and others. What happened was Payton exposes the weakness and the lack of adjustments, or unwillingness (JJT)of the coaches (Bill) to adjust to what the offenses were doing.
They just need a coach that knows how to run the system. How many times did you see Demarcus chasing a receiver in the slot instead of rushing the QB. Get someone who can make adjustments (Lord knows Roy needs all the help he can handle) and someone that knows how to freaking blitz out of a 3-4. Too bad LeBeau is staying in Pittsburg.

Posted by S L @ 4:26 PM Tue, Jan 23, 2007

does that mean the Flex is out of the question?

Posted by J.T. @ 4:27 PM Tue, Jan 23, 2007

Your 4-3 lineup would be easy. Ware and Canty at DE's. Ferguson and Spears at DT. Ellis (if he can come back) and Hatcher to play pass rushing roles. Ratliff to back up the DT along with Canty some too. Middle LB-James, OLB-Akin and Carpenter. Safeties...Henry and Roy W. Cb's-Newman and key free agent signing Asanti Samuel. Now tell me that 4-3 wouldn't work.

Ron Rivera would be the head coach to run it and Jason Garrett would run the offense. Draft an OL in the first 2 rounds. Let Garrett decides whether he can feature Owens or he can do without.

Posted by Jeff L. @ 4:27 PM Tue, Jan 23, 2007

I think they can be good either way.

A 3-4 in the mold of San Diego would take off in Dallas. Or, switch back to the 4-3, which most of the players are familiar with from their past.

Oh, and by the way, Ware and Jason Taylor are almost identical in size (1 inch and 2 lbs. difference), and Taylor seems to do 'OK' at defensive end.

Posted by Cesar Negrete @ 4:33 PM Tue, Jan 23, 2007

I think the concern and focus has to be on the defensive backfield. In general, the front 7 (either 3-4 or 4-3) should work fine in Dallas. There are enough playmakers there (as long as they are healthy for the season) to do the job. But when pass coverage breaks down within two seconds, all a mediocre QB has to do is loft the ball up. No amount of pressure can get there fast enough when the pass defense rolls over so quickly.

Posted by roxanne @ 4:48 PM Tue, Jan 23, 2007

It should depend on the coach and the team that we are playing. The defense should be built to the strengths of the players. A combination of both defenses would work best.

Posted by Bill Marsh @ 4:51 PM Tue, Jan 23, 2007

Of course not! We had 4-3 linebackers last year, like Scott Fujita and Shanle and let them go. Our current set of LBs are too big to play effectively in a 4-3.

We don't have enough DL to play a 4-3 either.

If you go back to a 4-3 you are asking for another 2-3 years of 'adjustments' while we bring in the right personnel.

We should play the 3-4, only we should play it a little more creatively. According to most O Coordinators in the league Dallas had the most plain vanilla, simple, predictable 3-4 in the NFL - and that's why they started destroying it the second half of the season.

Coaches should play the defense they have the personnel to play. No more cramming players into the system simply because that's the system the head coach likes.

Posted by DandyDan @ 5:00 PM Tue, Jan 23, 2007

Does anyone seem to remember that most of our younger players were in the 4-3 in college? Ware, Spears, Ellis, Ratliff, Carpenter. Ayodele was in a 4-3 with Jax until he came to Dallas. That's most of our front seven. Other than putting them in a passive form of the 3-4, one could argue that they haven't developed faster because they were still adjusting to Parcells' overated version of the 3-4 defense.

Posted by Steven @ 5:09 PM Tue, Jan 23, 2007

4-3/3-4 it doesn't really matter if your DBs cant cover. What hurt us this year was having to play less aggressive because if we blitzed or brought extra people our safeties got burned. Look at SD. They have decent cover safeties and pretty good corners so they can bring pressure more often. If we shore up our coverage at the safety position we should be able to turn Ware and Ellis/Carpenter loose.

Posted by Stevie D @ 5:20 PM Tue, Jan 23, 2007

Ware and Ellis are both undersized. Charles Haley did so well for two reasons. First, Haley had awesome support from Pro Bowl Defensive Tackles. Ellis and Ware do not. Second, Haley was a much faster and more agile pass-rusher. As linebackers though Ellis and Ware are awesome. If the Cows go to a 4-3 they need should do it through the draft. Square pegs in holes is just not gonna cut it.

Posted by jody @ 8:15 PM Tue, Jan 23, 2007

Boys could play a 4-3-Ware,Ellis,Canty rotating at end, Ferguson,Spears,Ratliff rotating inside. Ferguson could play a 2-technique, Spears a 3. Put Carpenter on the strong side, whoever is faster on the weak, James is big enough to play the middle. Whatever they play, Ware needs to be going upfield on passing plays, not dropping into coverage. Pressure will improve any coverage scheme.

Posted by Earl @ 9:04 AM Wed, Jan 24, 2007

Stick with the 3-4. If you look around the league, it's the more effective defense. Overall, we have good personnel for it. However, I think we're lacking a heady "quarterback" of the defense like we used to have in Dat Nguyen. Perhaps Bradie James will emerge as that guy, or maybe we need to look elsewhere. Overall, with some additional leadership, both on the sidelines and in the huddle, this defense could be dominant.

Posted by Ray @ 11:50 AM Wed, Jan 24, 2007

The answer is to play whatever scheme can get us a pass rush, so Roy "who can I throw my right shoulder into" Williams doesn't have to cover anyone.