| This site created and maintained by Jeremy Dunklin. cowboy-fan.com is in no way affiliated with the NFL or the Dallas Cowboys. All material on this site is copyrighted 2007 cowboys-fan.com |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  |
Latest News
I Need Help With This Site!
I'm asking anyone who is a fan of this site to become a co-writer for
it. I have a new job that will take away from the amount of time I can
put into this website. I'm probably only going to have time for a
couple of articles a week, which is hardly enough to keep visitors
coming back. All you would have to do is e-mail me the article and I
would be able to post it and give you credit for it.
Have your opinion heard! A different viewpoint would be great for
this site. Please e-mail me if your interested. My e-mail address is
admin@cowboys-fan.com
I'm asking anyone who is a fan of this site to become a co-writer for
it. I have a new job that will take away from the amount of time I can
put into this website. I'm probably only going to have time for a
couple of articles a week, which is hardly enough to keep visitors
coming back. All you would have to do is e-mail me the article and I
would be able to post it and give you credit for it.
Have your opinion heard! A different viewpoint would be great for
this site. Please e-mail me if your interested. My e-mail address is
admin@cowboys-fan.com
BEST COWBOYS’ LINEUP EVER – Part II: Defense
By: Larry Petton
They call it “Doomsday”. In prophetic terms, it is the end of the
world and judgment has come. That’s a pretty good description of
many opponents of the 8-time Super Bowl Doomsday defensive
teams. Perhaps the top two Doomsday editions would be the 1977
lineup with Randy White, “Too Tall” Jones, Harvey Martin and John
Dutton serving as the front four. Right behind is the ‘90’s
Doomsday defense with the pass-rushing skills of Charles Haley
and the aggressive attack mode of Ken Norton, Jr.
Where does Dallas stack up with the all-time greats? There are
the Purple People Eaters of Minnesota, the Fearsome Foursome of
Los Angeles and the Steel Curtain of Pittsburgh. Don’t overlook
the most ferocious defense ever…the ’86 Bears with MLB Mike
Singletary (whom Dallas said was too short to play linebacker).
That little linebacker from Baylor walked right out of Waco into
Canton. Doomsday has never been equal to ‘da Bears, but not
many have been better than the ’77 Doomsday edition. Just ask a
still weary Craig Morton, the former Cowboy who was battered by
the ‘Boys in the ’78 Super Bowl trouncing of the Orange Crush.
Who are the all-time defensive stalwarts for the Silver and Blue?
Try to beat this defense:
TACKLES – Let’s start with Bob Lilly, first player ever drafted by
Dallas and member of the HOF who was one tough TCU Horned
Frog. Despite being doubled and tripled most of the time, Lilly was
a man-handler. Right beside Lilly we line up the “MANSTER”, one
of the best Dallas nicknames ever. That would be Randy White,
the converted linebacker whose move to tackle put him into the
HOF. I can still see that guy rushing qb Ron Jaworski in a Dallas-
Eagles contest. Jaws dumped a screen to the speedy Wilbert
Montgomery who took the ball all the way down to the Cowboy goal
line where he was caught from behind by the Manster! These two
stud tackles are in a league by themselves.
ENDS – “Too Tall” Jones and Harvey Martin were thunder and
lightning for Doomsday in the ‘70’s. Jones blocked your passes
and Martin put your qb on the ground or in the emergency ward.
Charles Haley has to be given some consideration, but Harvey is
the Cowboys’ all-time sack leader and one of the nicest guys
Dallas has ever produced.
LINEBACKERS - Start with Chuck Howley, the quick cat from West
Virginia who has the distinction of being the only MVP in a Super
Bowl who played for the losing team (we should have won that
game, but I am still bitter at Morton’s senselss interception,
Thomas’ mindless fumble going into the end zone and Mackey’s
illegal catch for a td. I hold grudges, ya know). How can you
overlook Lee Roy Jordan in the middle. What a tough cookie. Ken
Norton, Jr. from the ‘90’s team rounds out the linebacking corp….
but I am still upset with him for leaving for San Francisco. (Maybe I
need to get some counseling). Oh, get over it…..he didn’t leave
his heart in San Francisco, Norton will always be a Cowboy.
CORNERBACKS - Two of the fastest cbs ever were Mel Renfro
and Deion Sanders. They both returned kicks for touchdowns.
They both should be in Canton as soon as Deion’s time comes up.
Everson Walls made a big splash for Dallas, but his skills were not
at the same level as Renfro and Sanders. These are shut down
covers who can take out your best man one on one.
SAFETIES – I feel a controversy brewing here. Who do you take?
You’ve got a choice between Cliff Harris, Charlie Waters, Darren
Woodson and Roy Williams. First of all, Roy still has some proving
to do, though he is a big-time hitter. I have to go with Harris and
Woodson with Charlie Waters barely missing out. Cliff Harris came
from Ouachita Baptist University (pronounced “Wash-it-ah” but be
careful how you say that) to the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor because
of his reputation for hitting anything that moved. Woodson was a
mainstay on the ‘90’s teams.
PUNTER – Most Cowboy polls like Mike Saxxon, who had to punt a
lot for some really bad ‘Boys teams in the ‘80’s. But my money is
on Danny White, the backup qb behind Roger Staubach, who was
great at hitting the corners and even more dangerous because of
his constant threat of passing from the punting formation, basically
another Shot Gun play for Dallas.
SPECIAL TEAMS – No contest. One of the most popular Cowboys
of all time is Bill Bates. He was fearless in breaking wedges on
kickoffs and always had a knack for finding a fumble. Later on
Bates became a mediocre safety, but he will always be
remembered for his extraordinary play on special teams that
caused the NFL to create a position in the Pro Bowl just for special
teams players.
KICK RETURNERS - Few have ever been more exciting at punt
returns than Deion Sanders. Bullet Bob Hayes draws a lot of
attention here because of his incredible speed. Mel Renfro turned
a lot of Cowboy games around with long kickoff returns. What a
dangerous duet.
HEAD COACH - Jimmy Johnson was powerful, savvy and cocky in
the ‘90’s for Dallas. He brought a brashness that the Cowboys had
not seen before. He was a heck of a motivator and turned
Doomsday from the outhouse to the penthouse in a short time. But
the greatest coach ever for Dallas and for the NFL is the man who
wears the funny hats, Tom Landry. No one ever brought so much
innovation, change and class to the league as this football genius.
It’s amazing the number of people I meet around the country who
are no longer Dallas fans because of the way this honorable man
was removed from his position. Jerry may win more Super Bowls,
but he will never touch the hem of Landry’s garment when it comes
to character. I still miss him on the sidelines. You could go to
church and worship and then turn on the tv and watch God’s
coach. I can’t wait to get to Heaven to see what kind of offense he
has installed up there. I bet Jerry won’t get his job this time.
There you have it. The all-time Dallas defense. Wow, I wish
virtual reality could allow us to see this team in action. I think ever
Mike Singletary would be jealous.
Written by Larry Petton of Springdale, Arkansas. If you have
comments or suggestions, please email me at lpetton@hotmail.com.
By: Larry Petton
They call it “Doomsday”. In prophetic terms, it is the end of the
world and judgment has come. That’s a pretty good description of
many opponents of the 8-time Super Bowl Doomsday defensive
teams. Perhaps the top two Doomsday editions would be the 1977
lineup with Randy White, “Too Tall” Jones, Harvey Martin and John
Dutton serving as the front four. Right behind is the ‘90’s
Doomsday defense with the pass-rushing skills of Charles Haley
and the aggressive attack mode of Ken Norton, Jr.
Where does Dallas stack up with the all-time greats? There are
the Purple People Eaters of Minnesota, the Fearsome Foursome of
Los Angeles and the Steel Curtain of Pittsburgh. Don’t overlook
the most ferocious defense ever…the ’86 Bears with MLB Mike
Singletary (whom Dallas said was too short to play linebacker).
That little linebacker from Baylor walked right out of Waco into
Canton. Doomsday has never been equal to ‘da Bears, but not
many have been better than the ’77 Doomsday edition. Just ask a
still weary Craig Morton, the former Cowboy who was battered by
the ‘Boys in the ’78 Super Bowl trouncing of the Orange Crush.
Who are the all-time defensive stalwarts for the Silver and Blue?
Try to beat this defense:
TACKLES – Let’s start with Bob Lilly, first player ever drafted by
Dallas and member of the HOF who was one tough TCU Horned
Frog. Despite being doubled and tripled most of the time, Lilly was
a man-handler. Right beside Lilly we line up the “MANSTER”, one
of the best Dallas nicknames ever. That would be Randy White,
the converted linebacker whose move to tackle put him into the
HOF. I can still see that guy rushing qb Ron Jaworski in a Dallas-
Eagles contest. Jaws dumped a screen to the speedy Wilbert
Montgomery who took the ball all the way down to the Cowboy goal
line where he was caught from behind by the Manster! These two
stud tackles are in a league by themselves.
ENDS – “Too Tall” Jones and Harvey Martin were thunder and
lightning for Doomsday in the ‘70’s. Jones blocked your passes
and Martin put your qb on the ground or in the emergency ward.
Charles Haley has to be given some consideration, but Harvey is
the Cowboys’ all-time sack leader and one of the nicest guys
Dallas has ever produced.
LINEBACKERS - Start with Chuck Howley, the quick cat from West
Virginia who has the distinction of being the only MVP in a Super
Bowl who played for the losing team (we should have won that
game, but I am still bitter at Morton’s senselss interception,
Thomas’ mindless fumble going into the end zone and Mackey’s
illegal catch for a td. I hold grudges, ya know). How can you
overlook Lee Roy Jordan in the middle. What a tough cookie. Ken
Norton, Jr. from the ‘90’s team rounds out the linebacking corp….
but I am still upset with him for leaving for San Francisco. (Maybe I
need to get some counseling). Oh, get over it…..he didn’t leave
his heart in San Francisco, Norton will always be a Cowboy.
CORNERBACKS - Two of the fastest cbs ever were Mel Renfro
and Deion Sanders. They both returned kicks for touchdowns.
They both should be in Canton as soon as Deion’s time comes up.
Everson Walls made a big splash for Dallas, but his skills were not
at the same level as Renfro and Sanders. These are shut down
covers who can take out your best man one on one.
SAFETIES – I feel a controversy brewing here. Who do you take?
You’ve got a choice between Cliff Harris, Charlie Waters, Darren
Woodson and Roy Williams. First of all, Roy still has some proving
to do, though he is a big-time hitter. I have to go with Harris and
Woodson with Charlie Waters barely missing out. Cliff Harris came
from Ouachita Baptist University (pronounced “Wash-it-ah” but be
careful how you say that) to the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor because
of his reputation for hitting anything that moved. Woodson was a
mainstay on the ‘90’s teams.
PUNTER – Most Cowboy polls like Mike Saxxon, who had to punt a
lot for some really bad ‘Boys teams in the ‘80’s. But my money is
on Danny White, the backup qb behind Roger Staubach, who was
great at hitting the corners and even more dangerous because of
his constant threat of passing from the punting formation, basically
another Shot Gun play for Dallas.
SPECIAL TEAMS – No contest. One of the most popular Cowboys
of all time is Bill Bates. He was fearless in breaking wedges on
kickoffs and always had a knack for finding a fumble. Later on
Bates became a mediocre safety, but he will always be
remembered for his extraordinary play on special teams that
caused the NFL to create a position in the Pro Bowl just for special
teams players.
KICK RETURNERS - Few have ever been more exciting at punt
returns than Deion Sanders. Bullet Bob Hayes draws a lot of
attention here because of his incredible speed. Mel Renfro turned
a lot of Cowboy games around with long kickoff returns. What a
dangerous duet.
HEAD COACH - Jimmy Johnson was powerful, savvy and cocky in
the ‘90’s for Dallas. He brought a brashness that the Cowboys had
not seen before. He was a heck of a motivator and turned
Doomsday from the outhouse to the penthouse in a short time. But
the greatest coach ever for Dallas and for the NFL is the man who
wears the funny hats, Tom Landry. No one ever brought so much
innovation, change and class to the league as this football genius.
It’s amazing the number of people I meet around the country who
are no longer Dallas fans because of the way this honorable man
was removed from his position. Jerry may win more Super Bowls,
but he will never touch the hem of Landry’s garment when it comes
to character. I still miss him on the sidelines. You could go to
church and worship and then turn on the tv and watch God’s
coach. I can’t wait to get to Heaven to see what kind of offense he
has installed up there. I bet Jerry won’t get his job this time.
There you have it. The all-time Dallas defense. Wow, I wish
virtual reality could allow us to see this team in action. I think ever
Mike Singletary would be jealous.
Written by Larry Petton of Springdale, Arkansas. If you have
comments or suggestions, please email me at lpetton@hotmail.com.
| Cowboy's Trivia Question of the Week! What college has the most current Cowboys' players as alumni? Last Week's Answer: LSU |
Finally A Tangible Defensive Change
We've been hearing for over five months now how much our
defense is going to be different and better next year. According to
the DC.com propaganda Roy Williams won't have to cover,
DeMarcus Ware will rush more, the defensive ends will come free
on nearly every play, and Jason Ferguson will only have to face a
single guy on every play. Is it just me, or does it sound like the
opposing offenses are going to play with three offensive lineman
instead of five?
Now I'm not knocking Wade Phillips. He will certainly help our
defense because we will be more active and our pass rush should
improve, but the propaganda is getting annoying. You keep
hearing about how Roy is going to play close to the line more often
and we are going to be sending a bunch of guys at the QB on
every play. Is it just me, or does that sound dangerous. We could
hardly cover anyone with two deep safeties, how do you think we
are going to do with just one back there. You better be getting to
the QB in a hurry.
The reality is that all the defensive changes will be subtle. Roy will
play close to the line more, but he is a safety which means he is
going to play deep. That is where a safety plays. He isn't a
linebacker, he is a safety. We aren't going to be sending six or
seven guys at the QB on every play. No team does that. I also
have read where many fans in San Diego didn't like Phillips at times
because they felt he was too conservative on 3rd downs.
I was excited yesterday when I heard the first actual change in
tangible scheme we will be implementing since I heard Phillips
talking about how they would stunt the defensive lineman more in
an attempt to cross the offensive line up and get guys coming
unblocked into the backfield. This change is how the cornerbacks
will be playing.
Under Bill Parcells and Mike Zimmer our cornerbacks played an
inside technique. An inside technique is exactly what it sounds like.
The corneback shades the wide receiver about two feet to the
inside. This technique is the best way to stick with a receiver. The
sideline limits how far the wide receiver can go to the outside, so
the inside is really what you have to worry about. It makes it easier
to cover inside routes when you are already on the inside. There
are two problems with this technique. First, this technique gives the
receiver a clear path down the sideline on a go route. Secondly,
when the corneback turns to run with the wide receiver he is turning
his back to the middle of the field. This is why you so often saw
Cowboys' corners right with the receiver only to give up the
completion anyway. They didn't know exactly when the ball was
coming. They could be right on top of the guy and still not knock
down the pass.
Our new defensive coordinator Brian Stewart stated that we would
be playing an outside technique. This technique also has its
advantages and disadvantages. The two advantages were the
disadvantages of the inside technique. The outside technique will
force a receiver running a deep route to head more towards the
hash as opposed to right down the sideline. This makes it easier
for our safeties to get back for deep help because they don't have
as far to go. The other advantage is that when you turn, you have
you back to the sideline which makes it easier to look and see what
is happening in the backfield. Now, don't confuse this with zone
defense. Our corners won't be able to simply stare into the
backfield the whole time, but they can glance that way and see
what's going on. This should lead to more pass deflections and
interceptions and it will also help our cornerbacks to support run.
The will be able to sniff out draws or delays quicker and they will
also be able to tell if the ball is already out of the QBs hands and
they can go towards the ball and tackle the tight end or back that
received the underneath pass.
There are also disadvantages to this scheme. The most obvious
one is that it will be tough to stop underneath routes. We will need
our linebackers to play better in coverage to help out with this
problem. This is another indication that we won't be sending three
linebackers on every play. Good luck having your corners playing
outside technique with one linebacker in the middle of the field.
Teams would dink and dunk you to death. The coaching staff
obviously knows that. If we are blitzing our corners will have a more
neutral stance, but that evidently isn't going to happen that much or
our defensive coordinator wouldn't say we are playing and outside
technique. The other disadvantage is that it can put a lot of
pressure on your safeties on intermediate routes. You've probably
heard Phillips talk about funneling plays to the safeties. This
technique does that because it kind of gets the cornerbacks out of
position for intermediate routes. This forces your safeties to cover
the last few yards of these routes which is dangerous when your
safeties can't cover.
As you can see, this change in philosophy has its advantages and
disadvantages. Only time will tell if this will improve our pass
defense. I definitely think its worth a try, but it isn't a miracle cure.
Parcells and Zimmer aren't dumb. They played the scheme they
thought was the best. If the outside technique was clearly better
every team would use it. It isn't better its just different. Its kind of
like the 3-4 vs. 4-3 debate. Neither scheme is better than the other
because if it was every team would run it.
We've been hearing for over five months now how much our
defense is going to be different and better next year. According to
the DC.com propaganda Roy Williams won't have to cover,
DeMarcus Ware will rush more, the defensive ends will come free
on nearly every play, and Jason Ferguson will only have to face a
single guy on every play. Is it just me, or does it sound like the
opposing offenses are going to play with three offensive lineman
instead of five?
Now I'm not knocking Wade Phillips. He will certainly help our
defense because we will be more active and our pass rush should
improve, but the propaganda is getting annoying. You keep
hearing about how Roy is going to play close to the line more often
and we are going to be sending a bunch of guys at the QB on
every play. Is it just me, or does that sound dangerous. We could
hardly cover anyone with two deep safeties, how do you think we
are going to do with just one back there. You better be getting to
the QB in a hurry.
The reality is that all the defensive changes will be subtle. Roy will
play close to the line more, but he is a safety which means he is
going to play deep. That is where a safety plays. He isn't a
linebacker, he is a safety. We aren't going to be sending six or
seven guys at the QB on every play. No team does that. I also
have read where many fans in San Diego didn't like Phillips at times
because they felt he was too conservative on 3rd downs.
I was excited yesterday when I heard the first actual change in
tangible scheme we will be implementing since I heard Phillips
talking about how they would stunt the defensive lineman more in
an attempt to cross the offensive line up and get guys coming
unblocked into the backfield. This change is how the cornerbacks
will be playing.
Under Bill Parcells and Mike Zimmer our cornerbacks played an
inside technique. An inside technique is exactly what it sounds like.
The corneback shades the wide receiver about two feet to the
inside. This technique is the best way to stick with a receiver. The
sideline limits how far the wide receiver can go to the outside, so
the inside is really what you have to worry about. It makes it easier
to cover inside routes when you are already on the inside. There
are two problems with this technique. First, this technique gives the
receiver a clear path down the sideline on a go route. Secondly,
when the corneback turns to run with the wide receiver he is turning
his back to the middle of the field. This is why you so often saw
Cowboys' corners right with the receiver only to give up the
completion anyway. They didn't know exactly when the ball was
coming. They could be right on top of the guy and still not knock
down the pass.
Our new defensive coordinator Brian Stewart stated that we would
be playing an outside technique. This technique also has its
advantages and disadvantages. The two advantages were the
disadvantages of the inside technique. The outside technique will
force a receiver running a deep route to head more towards the
hash as opposed to right down the sideline. This makes it easier
for our safeties to get back for deep help because they don't have
as far to go. The other advantage is that when you turn, you have
you back to the sideline which makes it easier to look and see what
is happening in the backfield. Now, don't confuse this with zone
defense. Our corners won't be able to simply stare into the
backfield the whole time, but they can glance that way and see
what's going on. This should lead to more pass deflections and
interceptions and it will also help our cornerbacks to support run.
The will be able to sniff out draws or delays quicker and they will
also be able to tell if the ball is already out of the QBs hands and
they can go towards the ball and tackle the tight end or back that
received the underneath pass.
There are also disadvantages to this scheme. The most obvious
one is that it will be tough to stop underneath routes. We will need
our linebackers to play better in coverage to help out with this
problem. This is another indication that we won't be sending three
linebackers on every play. Good luck having your corners playing
outside technique with one linebacker in the middle of the field.
Teams would dink and dunk you to death. The coaching staff
obviously knows that. If we are blitzing our corners will have a more
neutral stance, but that evidently isn't going to happen that much or
our defensive coordinator wouldn't say we are playing and outside
technique. The other disadvantage is that it can put a lot of
pressure on your safeties on intermediate routes. You've probably
heard Phillips talk about funneling plays to the safeties. This
technique does that because it kind of gets the cornerbacks out of
position for intermediate routes. This forces your safeties to cover
the last few yards of these routes which is dangerous when your
safeties can't cover.
As you can see, this change in philosophy has its advantages and
disadvantages. Only time will tell if this will improve our pass
defense. I definitely think its worth a try, but it isn't a miracle cure.
Parcells and Zimmer aren't dumb. They played the scheme they
thought was the best. If the outside technique was clearly better
every team would use it. It isn't better its just different. Its kind of
like the 3-4 vs. 4-3 debate. Neither scheme is better than the other
because if it was every team would run it.