Marinelli Report - Week 7 - Eagles

http://sportsday.dallasnews.com/dallas-cowboys/cowboys/2016/11/02/sturms-marinelli-report-sean-lee-tyrone-crawford-step

Staff Photographer

Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Cedric Thornton (92) and defensive end Tyrone Crawford (98) sack Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz (11) in the fourth quarter with outside linebacker Sean Lee (50) nearby during a National Football League game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas Sunday October 30, 2016. The Dallas Cowboys beat the Philadelphia Eagles 29-23 in overtime. (Andy Jacobsohn/The Dallas Morning News)

By Bob Sturm, Special contributor Contact Bob Sturmon Twitter:@SportsSturm

Marinelli Report

Nobody is saying that it isn't great news that the Cowboys have discovered how great David Irving and Terrell McClain can be -- that is fantastic news. Their development and subsequent effects on the game have been a very important factor for this defense in 2016.

 

But, players like Irving and McClain were supposed to be the frosting in 2016, not the cake. The cake must be the key players the Cowboys have signed long-term to change this defense into something dynamic and special. Quite simply, they need guys who can not only carry out a scheme, but consistently "win" against their man.

That is a distinction we don't often elaborate on, but you must learn the difference to properly study a defense. The 11-man unit can use scheme and tactics to get advantages, but that is difficult to pull of consistently in a sport where very wise men are organizing every detail of every moment. Scheme is important, but what makes a defense special is when you have guys that are accounted for by the opponent who whip the men in front of them to destroy a play. They did not sneak up on you -- you just didn't neutralize them.

Those are the types of players you pay to keep and build your defense around. Unfortunately, the Cowboys have not had enough of these guys who "defy the Xs and Os" and just cannot be blocked. But they have made major investments in two guys in their front seven, and on Sunday, they were the difference on defense by consistently "winning" against the guy across from them.

Tyrone Crawford (5 years/$45 million) and Sean Lee (6 years/$42 million) are the two players the Cowboys have invested heavily in and for many reasons -- health, supporting cast, roles -- but they have not exactly paid off their promise with delivery.

But there is reason to believe both are now back in the middle of the Cowboys' defensive success, which has now shown us seven games of evidence over which the defense has not allowed 24-plus points even one time this year. Fourteen sacks and 10 takeaways get them up to "league average" numbers and they held Philadelphia under 300 total yards, which will win almost any game against anybody.

First, Lee, who turned 30 this summer, experienced a stretch from 2012 to 2014 when he was "always hurt" and made many of us think he chose a profession that his body could not withstand. During that time, he played in just 17 of 48 games and was listed as a player who could not be depended upon -- surely, something that drove him a bit crazy to hear.

Since 2014, he has returned and continued to play with reckless abandon. Last year, he actually suffered two more concussions and, at times, still showed signs of his injury past. But, as we reach the halfway point of 2016, he has been available for 23 of the past 24 games. That sort of attendance record suggests he may be shaking his reputation, all while playing at a very high level. In fact, let's not just talk about it. Let's prove it, from Sunday, when I credited him with 3.5 splash plays:

This one is a simple third-down stop. Drop in your zone to the sticks, then come up and make the stop and get off the field. Third-down stops are among the most important part of a linebacker's job, and Lee has not really missed on much at all this year. Not highlight-film stuff, it but ends a drive.

This, above, is a thing of beauty. I edited the tape to show his pre-snap genius. Look at this guy. He knows the play and quickly adjusts to get Hitchens and Crawford out wider. Jack Crawford is told to set the edge and force the play back inside. Lee is there, and this is about as good as you can play the position against Darren Sproles. Brilliant stuff here. The key is also to look at the right guard for Philadelphia trying to reach-block Lee. Fat chance.

Later, on what might be the play of the game -- this crucial third down in the fourth quarter -- the Eagles are going to try to get a screen to Sproles out on the edge. I know it sounds like lip service to say Sean Lee knows the play before it happens, but how else would you explain this? Jason Kelce, the Eagles' center, is going to try to get to him, but that is not close, either. Lee blows it up for another tackle for loss that drives the Eagles out of field-goal range (where they would have gone back up by 10 points) and forces a punt.

Finally, this one, where he gets no credit in the box score, but I gave him a half splash for making this play happen. First, he sells the fact that he is on Sproles again, but he is deceiving the Eagles' pass protection. J.J. Wilcox will get Sproles after Lee blitzes right down Main Street, so I think he should get credit for part of this sack.

He hasn't been like this every week, and I wonder how much of it is babysitting the rest of the linebackers and just not playing full speed with the confidence that everyone else has their responsibilities down. But Sunday, he was awesome.

And then there's Crawford, who has had a very interesting career and is still just 26 years old. He missed 2013 with injury, then was the Cowboys' best defensive lineman in 2014. This made the Cowboys lock him down before free agency to a big deal, to which he responded (like Dez Bryant) by disappointing in Year 1 by playing all year with a shoulder injury and just not taking over many games like he had done the year before.

This year, the Cowboys had a massive problem at defensive end. Their solution was to take their best defensive tackle and to put him at defensive end. I hate this premise because I want my best option at each spot. I was wrong. Getting Tyrone Crawford out to end has changed his year. He even admits that it helps him stay healthier and the drafting of Maliek Collins has really helped this, too. Collins and Terrell McClain have probably been the story of the year, to be honest.

Regardless, Crawford is starting to dominate again at defensive end. I wasn't sure he had the quickness to excel out there, and we still need to see it more often, but look at this guy on Sunday:

This poor tight end is going to slow down Crawford to let the line pull around him? Tyrone thinks not, and drives down the line to end the play in the backfield.

Here is an inside stunt with a blitzer filling his lane outside. Wentz is thinking about stepping up, but then realizes that would be right into the path of No. 98. Again, Marinelli wants guys who can get going on the move and run into plays. That happened right here. Scheme wins.

Here is a zone run where there is so much "white" flashing at the running back that he has no idea what path to choose. Crawford is waiting for the backside cut, but to be honest, so many Cowboys are winning on this play that Crawford was just the man to end it. Nos. 58 and 97 deserve good grades here, too. Just look at Crawford jacking that poor tight end back again. What a strength mismatch. This is what you don't get to do when you play 3-technique.

Here is Crawford on the front side of a zone play, setting the outside edge and then just closing out the play himself. This is beast-level play from a defensive end against the run. There is nothing else to really describe. He is ending these runs by himself. These last few plays also demonstrate how mediocre the Eagles are up front -- a topic that isn't being discussed enough.

Aside from that sack above in the Sean Lee clips that he also was credited for, here is his last play, which is really just a chance to recover a fumble that Terrell McClain makes available. The right guard is going to pull here and Crawford and McClain are both going to destroy their blockers to end this play -- and this drive -- right here. Wow.

If Sean Lee and Tyrone Crawford are going to start taking over games, the Cowboys are going to be OK on defense.

WEEKLY DATA

Those are all magnificent numbers. ... 4.1 yards per play? That is the lowest the Cowboys have held an opponent since the Colts game in 2014. Dominant effort that is being a bit overlooked this week. But, you don't hold NFL teams to 4.1 a play very often. Five times in the past 10 years, to be exact.

CARSON WENTZ PASSING CHART

My guy, John Daigle, makes these charts each week for us to show where they are looking on the field to attack. You can see here, this is a horizontal passing game. The deep throws are these slants at the five- to seven-yard depth. The Eagles have a great passing quarterback who can throw the ball very, very well. But their supporting cast is not good and their coach is Andy Reid's student. We have seen this quite a bit in Kansas City over the years.

SPLASH PLAYS

And here, you can see how the season standings look. We are starting to see the familiar names head to the top.

SEASON SPLASH TOTALS

Where is DeMarcus Lawrence on this list? I wish I knew.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

The defense has been able to stay reasonably healthy here for a while, which means it is time to lose a couple pieces. Barry Church and Morris Claiborne will both miss most, if not all of November now, so the secondary will use a lot more Anthony Brown and J.J. Wilcox than anyone had planned a while back.

This will be a factor, but attrition is the name of the game.

Otherwise, I don't know how you aren't delighted with what the past month has revealed about the defense. You spend all summer fretting about the Cowboys being abused on defense, and then they are fourth in the league in points allowed on Nov. 2.

Long ways to go, but this defense has exceeded expectations so far. Once again, you have to be impressed with what Rod Marinelli (and the personnel department) has put on the field.

Marinelli Report - Week 2 - Washington

http://sportsday.dallasnews.com/dallas-cowboys/cowboys/2016/09/21/sturm-marinelli-report-finding-playmakers-step

Once we establish that this is the NFL and both teams are really good and all of these games are going to be close from week to week, we cut through the noise and get down to the name of the game.

The name of the game in the NFL is: "Who is going to make that play at that moment to win this game?" That is how defense is played. Every team is going to give up between 300-400 yards most weeks, 20-24 points and several highlights. The teams are too good. The players are too talented. There are almost no "clean sheets" in the NFL. The rules are geared toward the offense and the league wants excitement. They don't want a 3-0 game. They want 28-27.

That isn't to say the Cowboys have a great defense. They don't. We all know it, and compared to league averages, the Cowboys must do better in nearly every category from what we've seen.

But we are seeing guys battle hard. We are seeing them push to make plays. And the only difference between Weeks 1 and 2 from a defensive standpoint -- the difference between winning and losing -- is that they were able to make a few plays in the fourth quarter and in the red zone.

And that is where I think we should start today:

Here, the Redskins have a chance to take a 10-point lead with a touchdown in the fourth quarter. That seems pretty big against a young quarterback like Dak Prescott. So this play, on 3rd-and-6, has a chance to either put the game in a great spot, settle for a field goal to put you up by six, or maybe, Barry Church can make a play.

There is a lot to look at here. First, see Church and Jones in the middle of the field playing safety. Jones is the extra guy on the left and Church is watching the other side. I am pretty sure that Cousins expects Church to help Sean Lee on Jordan Reed. Everyone is thinking the big tight end is the target, but Church sees Garcon in the back of the end zone and heads over there from the weak side. I love sending pressure here, but Rod Marinelli predictably does not. And because of that, he has a weak-side obstacle who is able to get in the passing lane. Dropping seven always allows this possibility and when it works, it looks brilliant. Look how mad Garcon is at Cousins for not seeing that. Huge play.

The above play is from the next drive. There is 2:38 left in the game and the Redskins are now down 27-23, facing a 3rd-and-1.

They simply want to move the chains here, so they want to go get that one yard. And out of nowhere, from the far side into the gap, is Sean Lee with his trademark run stuff. This angle doesn't do the speed of impact justice, but this was huge.

So they stonewall them and set up 4th-and-1 out of the two-minute warning.

Cover 1, rat in the hole. This means as opposed to man coverage with two safeties high, you switch a safety for a linebacker and have one deep, one shallow. The shallow man is the linebacker, Durant, and this is one of Marinelli's go-to coverages. Durant must carry the first man and then read the eyes of the quarterback to step in and make a play in the passing lane, because again, the target is Garcon and he can get Claiborne on the slant with ease. But Durant knows that is the read, and he gets in on it.

Here you can really see Durant mirroring Cousins. This reminds me of Rolando McClain's pick-six last year in Miami.

This is clearly something that a nice middle linebacker better be able to do here, and Durant got it done to stop the Redskins.  

And then, with a little time left, Washington had one final chance.

So what team doesn't want to unleash their best pass-rush group? And what team would ever answer that question by sending out four defensive tackles? The Cowboys, of course. And Tyrone Crawford turns the corner and smashes Cousins for a huge sack.

I kind of wonder, if this keeps looking like this, if No. 98 is best played at the left defensive end spot with Maliek Collins and Terrell McClain inside and DeMarcus Lawrence on the other side. Weird to do that with that contract on Crawford, but Collins looks OK at 3-tech at times, and McClain (as you will see below) may be the best player right now on this front.

WEEKLY DATA 

There is no question Kirk Cousins missed throws -- or he might have rolled up 400 or 500 yards passing -- and the Cowboys were fortunate. But all of those stops in the red zone should be credited to Dallas and those plays in the fourth quarter are what this game is all about.

Look, they need better players, but all they can do for now is fight to make a play. That was good enough in Washington.

SPLASH PLAYS

You have already seen a good number of these splash plays above, but we should not forget several of the plays earlier in the game when defenders were able to make a significant difference with their efforts.

In particular, I thought David Irving continues to flash in smaller doses, Byron Jones might have made the unsung play of the game for running down Josh Doctson after Brandon Carr busted on a coverage miscue. He didn't get a splash for that (I can't do it on a 57-yard gain), but Jones did something there that resulted in zero points because of Church's interception moments later. That is something that should not be forgotten when we evaluate the play of No. 31. I think he has been pretty solid -- as I expected.

KIRK COUSINS THROW CHART

We knew Kirk Cousins was not a franchise quarterback based on evidence before Sunday -- but it just solidified it more as he again missed too many open receivers, and you can see how his performance relies on the long ball and not throws into tight spaces. He is a third-down dump-off artist who uses play action to hit bombs over the top. If he connects, he is great, but it is not something to bet upon over a six-year contract. They took several shots and he just missed guys. The Cowboys likely lose against a better quarterback on Sunday. But, as we have said, this season's schedule is not filled with very many good quarterbacks.  

SEASON SPLASHES 

And finally, here is the season total (through a mere two weeks) of splash plays. As you can see, there are some unfamiliar names at the top of the leaderboard, but things often normalize as we go.

That said, I am here to say that Terrell McClain is showing me things that are very impressive and while he has always been a player who is very dependent on staying healthy, I think we should give him a little time and attention.

If you can believe it, the Cowboys signed him in the spring of 2014 to a three-year deal worth a little over $3 million. You may be wondering why you haven't seen much since and, again, it goes back to health. In 2014, he was a depth guy who got banged up and played about 300 snaps. Then, last year, he was lost for the season in Week 2 at Philadelphia and played just 45 snaps -- a number he has already surpassed. He already has six splash plays this year and is close to the nine splashes he had in 2014 and 2015 combined.

Let's prove how great he has been through two weeks:

Big No. 97 is right on the nose here, where the center tries to get a piece but really doesn't. The right guard has no leverage and McClain devours the running back in the hole.

Here he deals with a direct double team and stands his ground until the running back is in his grasp. Then he finishes the play himself. Goodness gracious, man.

I appreciate all that Nick Hayden did (including staying healthy), but there is no substitute for the quickness like this on a man this size. A true 300-pound dancing bear.

Here, McClain gets down that line and makes the play himself. A play-making 1-technique? Is this real?

Now in the other direction he goes. I won't even try to describe how good this is for a big man chasing the play down and waiting for the running back to cut back.

You want a little pass rush from your nose? How about a three-man rush where he flushes the pocket after battling through a triple team?

Let's see him stay healthy, but if the Cowboys keep getting this from the inside, they've got something very nice. I had no idea he could keep Cedric Thornton on the sideline, but this is really great stuff.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

They continue to try treading water until DeMarcus Lawrence gives them a real edge presence in Week 5. Until then, they get to take on Brian Hoyer and Blaine Gabbert. You would like to think the defense can stand up to those two tests and put the team in a position to win.

More importantly, they are starting to make us think they can deal with stopping the run -- although that fourth quarter against New York remains a disconcerting mystery.

Some bad, but the game ended with some big plays. I am not sure you can ask for too much more from this defense at the moment. But that may be good enough to get a few more early wins.

Cowboys Player Profile - Tyrone Crawford

http://sportsday.dallasnews.com/dallas-cowboys/cowboys/2016/05/10/bob-sturms-cowboys-player-profile-tyrone-crawford-return-full-strength-vital-2016

Tyrone Crawford

Position: Defensive tackle

Size: 6-foot-4, 290 pounds

Age: 26, 11/22/89

College: Boise State

Drafted: Dallas 2012 -- Round 3, Pick 81

Experience: Four seasons

Salary History and Contract Status: Crawford is entering the 1st year of a 5-year extension that totaled 5 years/$45 million with a guarantee of $24.6m on September 12, 2015.  Then, on March 10, his contract was restructured to convert 5.5m of his 2016 base salary to a bonus spread over the length of the deal.  This lowered his 2016 cap hit from 8.7m to 4.3m.  The cap hits for the other four years of his deal are 2017: $10.3m, 2018: $9.1m, 2019: $10.1m, and 2020: $9.1m. 

2012 Draft Profile From Ourlads.com: 6'4, 275, 4.85 - One-Year starter. Canadian, Junior college transfer from Bakersfield Community College.  Flashes first step explosiveness.  Has the length and strength in his game.  Quick up-field and laterally.  Accelerates off a block to get to the ball carrier.  Doesn't stay blocked.  A good, but not fluid athlete. Needs to improve his hand-use as a pass rusher and when shedding blocks.  Plays with raw power and functional strength but needs technique work.  Can hold the point of attack.  Possesses the tools to be a left base defensive end in a four-man front or get work as a 5-technique in a three-man scheme. Has the strength to two-gap.  Will need pro physical development and position skill work.  Has an injury history. Fourth/fifth Round.

Pre-2015: Crawford was one of the very rare defensive linemen that the Cowboys drafted in 2012 to help with their 3-4 defense, only to change schemes one year into his career.  He played 296 snaps of largely forgettable football in his rookie season and then as the Cowboys switched coordinators and schemes in 2013, he fell to a torn Achilles early in camp and missed his entire sophomore year.  To his great credit, he returned in 2014 with a larger and stronger build, played 624 snaps (mostly all at the 3-technique as the under tackle in Rod Marinelli's front) and was bordering on dominant.  He finished 2nd in '14 in splash plays with 23.5 - averaging one disruptive play for every 26 snaps he was on the field.  His traditional statistics were pedestrian (3 sacks), but anyone watching the team saw that the 24-year old was breaking out while also entering the final year of his small rookie contract in 2015 (4 years/$2.7m). 

2015 Summary: The Cowboys pounced on making sure they locked up this bull in the middle of their defensive line to a market-value deal (5/$45m) right as the season was starting.  Subsequently, he opened the season with a very solid Week 1 against the Giants before getting hurt against the Eagles in Week 2 with a torn rotator cuff. Crawford continued to play each and every week totaling 706 snaps and grabbing a career-high 5 sacks and 44 tackles. His splash play total fell to 11.5 and just one splash every 61 snaps. His strength had dropped substantially and he was also getting the attention of game plans more often, causing the Cowboys a little bit of contract indigestion.  Despite the drop-off in disruption, he continued to labor through the pain and show up every week -- showing incredible toughness -- before going under the knife to repair his shoulder in early January. His recovery is progressing and the Cowboys expect no issues by July. Look at the sack below against the Jets and focus on how much pain Crawford appears to be in after the play.  

2016 Analysis:  Having Tyrone Crawford healthy is vital as he is one of the few who have demonstrated the ability to be difference makers on the defensive front. Because of the suspensions to Randy Gregory and DeMarcus Lawrence, it appears the Cowboys are strongly considering opening the season with Crawford demonstrating his positional versatility by filling defensive end in the month those two pieces are missing. We can debate the merits of that thinking -- moving your most expensive investment on your front 7 to fill in for lesser pieces out of necessity -- but, adding Cedric Thornton to this line might actually allow this idea to work. The Cowboys do have enough players in the front with some level of positional flex (Crawford, Thornton, Jack Crawford) that they might be decent with that look.  Regardless, at this age and at this salary, Tyrone Crawford is a vital piece if they can get him back to his dominant 2014 form.  And at his current price tag, they are counting on that to happen in 2016.

Also Read: Xs and Os Breakdown - Tyrone Crawford - November 2014