Defense sparked by the return of Tank and another great Micah Parsons moment: Dan Quinn Report

 Make no mistake, last Thursday will not win awards for the finest defensive performance of 2021. You can’t give up 400-plus yards to a team of understudies and feel too good about yourself. Not when you give up nine yards a carry to a QB who is having a hard time completing a pass. Not when you cannot really find a running back or wide receiver who should stress your defense at all. At some point, you needed someone to step up and make a play.

https://theathletic.com/3002896/2021/12/08/defense-sparked-by-the-return-of-tank-and-another-great-micah-parsons-moment-dan-quinn-report/

Cowboys get the result they needed, but style points missing: The Morning After

 We learned a long time ago that this league does not award style points and its a good thing, because the Cowboys would have had a hard time collecting them for most of their Week 13 win in New Orleans.

That said, the mission was to go into New Orleans and leave with a highly desired win to steady a ship that has been anything but. While the prettiness can and will be debated on this day, that is the important objective. The Cowboys had to have their eighth win of the season and as we check the standings, they got it.

https://theathletic.com/2995562/2021/12/03/cowboys-get-the-result-they-needed-but-style-points-missing-the-morning-after/

The Cowboys visit New Orleans in desperate need of a win: Thursday pregame riffing

 There was a time — not so long ago — when Sean Payton was that year’s version of Kellen Moore. The young hotshot assistant and offensive mastermind who was going to take over the coaching world as his own boss soon and what if he didn’t do it here?

https://theathletic.com/2992458/2021/12/02/the-cowboys-visit-new-orleans-in-desperate-need-of-a-win-thursday-pregame-riffing/

2015 NFL Draft #67 - Stephone Anthony, LB, Clemson

I have never been a scout or a NFL General Manager, but I am willing to watch a ton of football. By watching about 200 snaps of each prospect, we can really get a feel for a player and then know what we are talking about a bit better. It is no exact science, but the NFL hasn't quite figured out drafting either, so we are going to do the best we can.

Find all the profiles here.

Click here to see an interactive of how Anthony compares with the top LBs of the draft.

Stephone Anthony, LB, Clemson - 6'2, 245 - Senior - 4.56 40

CLEMSON, SC - OCTOBER 25: Stephone Anthony #42 of the Clemson Tigers runs onto the field before their game against the Syracuse Orange at Memorial Stadium on October 25, 2014 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Every team has to decide what value each pick has to them, and they do that by evaluating each position and each role a player takes on a roster.  We would not value certain positions at certain points, because even an elite player at some positions does not play enough impact on the field to be valued too highly.  That is why inside linebackers (or, non-pass rush LBs) are difficult to assess.

In today's NFL, we are seeing the traditional inside linebacker being specialized more than ever and we divide them by the concept of "early down" linebackers and "all situation" linebackers.  Early down guys are those who may be best between the numbers on the field against primarily runs and short pass situations.  In the era where fullbacks were always not the field, these men served across from them and would make sure the defense had enough muscle against power runs.  But, in today's NFL, there are almost no fullbacks and the early-down-only linebackers are being phased out.  What replaces them are those who can run from sideline to sideline with 40-times that used to be for just wide receivers, who can cover on 3rd down, but take on blockers on 1st down.  If you can play in any situation, you are still highly coveted, but if you are only part-time, then a team can't take you with too high a pick.  If you are part-time, you only play about 400-500 downs in a 1,000 play season.  Not enough bang for the buck.

So, in these modern drafts, we are looking for guys like Stephone Anthony from Clemson who appear to be 3-down LBs. Here is a guy who runs a 4.56 (nearly Dez Bryant's time of 4.52) at 245 pounds with a 37" vertical leap and an absurd 1.57 split on the 10-yard.  He is a fantastic athlete with 4 years at Clemson where he was incredibly productive.  I looked at his games versus Syracuse, Georgia, and Florida State to learn what he is all about.

Anthony wears #42 for Clemson.

What I liked:  As you can see, Anthony runs like a deer and has impressive cover ability for a man his size.  There are LBs in this draft (Eric Kendricks, UCLA) who can cover better, but he is also 15 pounds lighter.   Anthony at 245 is strong and can run with hips that are fluid.  He diagnoses and attacks down hill against screens or inside runs with intent and violence, and appears to have a fine grasp of the Xs and Os and directing traffic on his talented Clemson defense.  He shoots A-gaps with the occasional surprise pass rushes and closes with such impressive straight-line speed that the QB panics as he sees what is happening.  He arrives with a thump and looks the part of the type of inside, all-situation LB that we seek.

What I did not like:   He will miss tackles and occasionally over-pursues into a hole, only to have a RB like Georgia's Todd Gurley bounce to another hole and be gone.  He also is using hands quite a bit on in coverage underneath when he feels like he is beaten by a step and needs to play more sound technique in pass coverage which he has the ability to do.  He has to know when to use his aggressiveness and when to understand they are trying to use that against him with some looks to see if he will bite.  But, overall, he is generally a force.

Summary:  I place Anthony in that group that does pass the 3-down test and looks like a real force to be reckoned with.  Anthony attacks downhill and can do so many things  because he is a top athlete in this class and when you talk about non-pass rush LBs, you certainly don't have to go too far down the list to get here.  He is a play-making leader in the middle of your defense and can run sideline to sideline to make up ground in a hurry.  He plays very hard and is very productive and looks like the type of guy who lands on day 2 in the draft and then plays for a very long time.  I would certainly consider him one of the Top 3 players in this group heading into the draft.

You can view plenty of his tape here at Draftbreakdown.com.

And, if you don't mind, please check out the Bob and Dan (BaD) Radio show in Dallas-Fort Worth, from 12p-3p, Monday-Friday, on Sportsradio 1310 and 96.7fm, The Ticket.  www.theticket.com 

2015 NFL Draft #43 - Andrus Peat, LT, Stanford

I have never been a scout or a NFL General Manager, but I am willing to watch a ton of football. By watching about 200 snaps of each prospect, we can really get a feel for a player and then know what we are talking about a bit better. It is no exact science, but the NFL hasn't quite figured out drafting either, so we are going to do the best we can. Find all the profiles here.

Click here to see an interactive of how Peat compares with the top lineman of the draft.

Andrus Peat, LT, Stanford - 6'7, 316 - Junior - 5.18 40

Feb 20, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Stanford Cardinal offensive linemen Andrus Peat runs the 40 yard dash during the 2015 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on Feb. 20, 2015. (Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports)

Now, we move to start diving into the Offensive Line group for the 2015 draft, and I randomly decided to start with one of the players that has been in everyone's projected 1st round for a long, long time.  It is Peat, who comes from a football family (as it seems most every Stanford player does) and from a school that has given us more than a few offensive linemen to look at over the last several years.  He is a junior who started pretty much every game his last two years he played after being the highest touted OL prospect in his recruiting class as well.  Needless to say, he is a household name in the football world and is one of those prospects that sort of starts with perceptions of invincibility and then is knocked down the list, rather than the players who fly under the radar and rise up as the draft approaches. In the end, it doesn't really matter how it happens, but it is interesting to note how people approach a certain prospect with preconceived notions.  For his study we looked at 2014 meetings with Notre Dame, Utah, Oregon State, and USC.

What I liked:  There is nothing more enjoyable to my football eye than a pulling tackle out in space looking for something to destroy.  Peat has pretty decent mobility and athleticism in open space and also seems to fit nicely into your zone blocking schemes (combo and then release to go clean up a LB) as you want guys who can get to the 2nd level and not get in the way too much.  He is very impressive in that regard.  But, what you want from a left tackle is the feeling that your QB1's blindside is going to be secure, and that is what will make or break Peat.  I am happy to report than in most of his 200 snaps, he looks the part perfectly.  He gets centered on his man, and that edge rusher generally gets shut down quickly with Peat's massive hands and once he gets his meat-hooks on you, it is game over.  He moves and shadows his man well and looks confident and in control.  He does not get help and he doesn't need help.  He faced many top rushers and held his own almost all of the time.  He looks for a chance to show a streak of aggression and will throw his man aside from time to time as well.  There is plenty to like.

What I did not like:  If you are a fan of boxing, you hear the phrase "styles make fights" to explain why Fighter A can beat fight B, and Fighter B can beat Fighter C, so why can't A beat C?  Well, when Peat, who handles so many with ease faces Utah's Nate Orchard twice in consecutive seasons, it sure seems that Orchard was Peat's kryptonite.  Below is one of the 3 sacks that Peat conceded to Orchard in those 2 meetings, and there was just something about the 251 pound rusher that gave Peat all he could handle.  It seems from time to time, he just gets too top-heavy and leaning, and Orchard would sense that and then exploit it.  Again, I loved so much of Peat that I don't want this match-up to be a deal breaker, but it was weird to see his performance brought down so far by one guy.  But, Orchard is a really impressive prospect, himself.  This happens.  Beyond that, Peat is on the ground a bit too much and can improve his strength, but he is very young and will develop into something better than what he currently is.

Summary:  He is not a perfect prospect and doesn't appear to be that variety of tackle that is earmarked for the first hour of the draft, but there is no doubt he goes in the first round because he plays the highly-coveted, under-supplied spot of left tackle.  He has traits that reminds me of someone who I undervalued back in 2011, but has really shown me the error in my ways, Boston College's Anthony Castonzo (Colts).  Big, not really as strong or mean as I like, but agile and seemingly perfect for the zone scheme/pass attack that seems to look for the prototypical power forward body.  Peat is not quite that, as his size at nearly 320, makes him even more desirable than that 300 pound group, but I can see that with those hands and natural agility as well as a real understanding for what he is doing puts him pretty high on the list.  I would feel pretty good if my team landed Peat.  A solid prospect without too many concerns at all.

You can view plenty of his tape here at Draftbreakdown.com.

2015 NFL Draft #36 - PJ Williams, CB, Florida State

I have never been a scout or a NFL General Manager, but I am willing to watch a ton of football. By watching about 200 snaps of each prospect, we can really get a feel for a player and then know what we are talking about a bit better. It is no exact science, but the NFL hasn't quite figured out drafting either, so we are going to do the best we can. Find all the profiles here.

Click here to see an interactive of how Williams compares with the top CBs of the draft.

P.J. Williams, CB, Florida State - 6'0, 194 - Junior - 4.57 40

Florida State's P.J. Williams answers a question during a news conference at the Atlantic Coast Conference Football kickoff in Greensboro, N.C., Sunday, July 20, 2014. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Every year, it seems, the Florida State Seminoles give us a host of prospects to examine and as anyone who follows this knows, that school is right up there with the best in terms of putting many players in the NFL ranks every year.  They simply are one of those NFL machines.  And this year is no exception, as there are double-digit prospects in the 2015 draft that played for the Seminoles, and obviously, they won a ton of games.  Williams was one of the very highest ranked Florida State players, a corner with exceptional size and skills, as well as a resume that is quite impressive.  The job here is always to attempt to figure out how much of his success is due to his quality and how much of it is due to being on a team with talent everywhere and that usually is the best team on the field.  He cannot bring his team with him to the NFL.  It should also be said that PJ had a moment or two off the field that teams will want to look into with regards to character and personal conduct.   To examine Williams, we looked at Virginia, Clemson, Louisville, and Oregon.

What I liked:  Williams is a player with exceptional physical tools as he dominated the broad jump and the vertical leap in his positional group, as well as a decent enough 40-time.  He is a big, physical player who wants to play press-coverage in your face on most routes and does it very convincingly.  He wants to win with his close proximity and battle level which is most impressive.  It is hard to think you would win too many routes short against Williams.  He is a menace going north.  I love his game heading up field to the line of scrimmage where he is a willing and able tackler and attacker of WR screens or on those very common corner blitzes.  In that respect, it is a little like watching the diminutive LaMarcus Joyner from the 2014 draft.  Plays aggressive, plays fast, and plays physical at the point of attack.  Also seems like the type of player who is well studied and can read plays in front of him very well.  He may be the best run-support corner on the board.

What I did not like:  Unfortunately, for all the things he does really well, I am not sure he is very good at the most important element for a press corner, and that is the ability to press-man his cover with effectiveness.  He seemed to lose sight of the ball on many occasions - especially on routes down the field and his lack of overall awareness of where the ball is at and when it is going to arrive made him a rather easy mark at times in space for some of the better receivers he was trying to cover.  In particular, Louisville's Devante Parker - a projected 1st round wide receiver - had a real field day against Williams as he was able to lose him with moves on a few occasions and then win balls because Williams lost track of it.  Honestly, cover skills and confidence that he won't need safety help to avert disaster is quite disconcerting if you want to spend a 1st round pick on a corner.

Summary:  There are countless things to like about Williams, but like I said above, I count it a major red flag when I am not just crazy about the cover skills of a press corner.  He is so good going forward, blitzing, and offering a play-maker's knack for big plays, I wonder if we are looking at a real impressive safety who has been playing corner in college.  I would be tempted to feel that is his best position and consider a position conversion, but because of the need for corners all over the NFL, I highly doubt someone wouldn't try him in the NFL at the corner spot, first.  If teams believe he is the type of guy to sit on an island against another team's top WR, then they are throwing caution and his college tape to the wind.  He is a real nice player, but I don't think he would last long as a press corner on Sundays.  He just doesn't seem to have the natural instincts to handle a quick threat in space and then find the ball at the moment of truth.  With that in mind, I would not value him as high as most, because if I am taking a corner in the 1st round, it is because I believe he can dominate his man in tight coverage at the next level. You can view plenty of his tape here at Draftbreakdown.com.

2015 NFL Draft #19 - Hau'oli Kikaha, LB, Washington

I have never been a scout or a NFL General Manager, but I am willing to watch a ton of football. By watching about 200 snaps of each prospect, we can really get a feel for a player and then know what we are talking about a bit better. It is no exact science, but the NFL hasn't quite figured out drafting either, so we are going to do the best we can.

Find all the profiles here.

Click here to see an interactive of how Kikaha compares with the top LBs of the draft.

Hau'oli Kikaha, LB, Washington - 6'3, 248 - RS Senior

Oregon State quarterback Sean Mannion (4) is sacked by Washington's Hau'oli Kikaha in the first of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Today, we look at one of the players that is the focal point of the entire draft process.  Each spring, there are a few players who cause polarizing opinions and debates for the several months between the bowl games and the NFL draft.  Hau'oli Kikaha is one of them.  Think about this, well-meaning draft analysts have all considered his abilities and while some have him in the 1st round, others have him not getting drafted at all.  That is pretty odd to have that wide of a range of possibilities for a player who led the nation in sacks in 2014 and finished 4th in the same category in 2013.  To consider his pros and cons, we examined the Stanford, California, and Illinois games from this past season.

What I liked:  Let's start here - He has played in 27 games in the last 2 seasons and accumulated 32 sacks and 40.5 tackles for loss.  Those 72.5 explosive plays are so productive in 2 seasons in a major conference it makes one take notice of what he is capable of.  He causes chaos behind the line of scrimmage on a regular and routine basis.  Clearly, he fits best as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense, but he can also play a defensive end in a 4-3 - provided it is generally in passing situations.  He is a very competitive player who does not give up if his first move does not work.  His work rate is exceptional and again, he is just so productive in making plays and showing up that it would be foolish to discount those items.  High RPMs. He also drops into coverage on a routine basis and while he is best in the short zones, he demonstrates at least an average ability when asked to chase in man.  He seems to have a pretty decent array of skills that can be used.

What I did not like:  Here is where the debates start raging on.  He missed nearly all of 2011 and all of 2012 with ACL injuries to his left knee on separate occasions.  This is the first hurdle he must jump over this spring as medical examinations will be a major part of his process.  Then, when you watch him play, it is clear that his skills are best served going forward, but to be an elite edge linebacker in a 3-4, you better be able to run, plant, and change direction at a high speed as well.  It seems that is where he gets caught up in his ability to dominate in space against the grain.  His 40 time will be key at the combine, because he doesn't look as fast or as explosive as some of his counterparts.  As for other concerns, it seems he might not hold up well against the run if you try to play him at DE and therefore his scheme destination is going to be key.  He may not be a guy who can play ever down and therefore, if you add his limited role to his questionable medical history, now you see why people are trying to figure out where he fits in this big conversation.

Summary:  In the end, I want to see production.  When I popped on any game, there were things both good and bad, but there was always an explosive play or three where he is causing a negative moment for an opponent that generally stopped the drive.  He gets to the QB very well, although it should be pointed out that when facing the 1st round prospect LT from Stanford, Andrus Peat, he was pretty quiet.  He accomplished his plays against their RT.  It is also said that he benefited from playing with Danny Shelton, Shaq Thompson, and at times, Marcus Peters (3 other Huskies that could go very high in the draft), but my answer to that is that they benefited, too, from playing with him.  He needs to go to a 3-4 team, but from there, I don't see why he can't keep causing chaos at the NFL level by finding your sacks on passing downs.  What currency counts for more for a defensive player in this current era?  I think he will be fine at the next level.  2nd round?  His spring will tell the story.

You can view plenty of his tape here at Draftbreakdown.com.