Examining The Dallas Pass Rush Sack Rates: 2011-15

http://sportsday.dallasnews.com/dallas-cowboys/cowboys/2016/08/17/sturm-talk-stat-matters-rushing-passer

In our efforts to solve the Cowboys' pass rush issues, I always think that sometimes we are looking in the wrong place for the proper measuring stick.  There are so many variables that go into evaluation for this type of thing; especially when your efforts need to be measured against 31 teams.  NFL average is a worthy pursuit, especially if you haven't been at or above the NFL average since 2011.  That is now five seasons back and the Cowboys have spent the last four in the bottom of the league as it pertains to raw sack numbers.  

The problem, of course, is that all things are never equal in the NFL.  Team X gets 60 sacks and Team Y gets 30.  However, upon closer inspection, we find out Team Y gets no sacks because teams are running the ball so much against them.  Maybe their offense is incompetent, and the opponent is always ahead in the second half.  Why would they pass and subject their QB to danger when a simple run down the throat is all it takes to ensure victory?  

If some teams are facing 50 passes a game and some teams are facing 25, then it stands to reason that we'd better not look at raw sack totals to evaluate the pass rush.  

Just for fun, here is what the raw sack totals look like, though, as we separate them into three categories:  In Green, we put the best team in the NFL.  For your reference, the leaders in the last five years have been - Philadelphia in 2011, Denver in 2012, Carolina in 2013, Buffalo in 2014, and Denver in 2015.  In red, we put the NFL average.  This is how many total sacks the average team gets each year.  And then, in blue, is your Dallas Cowboys in a five-year trend:

The Cowboys' league ranking in sacks since 2011:  9th, 22nd, 28th, 29th, and 26th.  So, since 2012, they have been bouncing around the basement.  2011-12 was Rob Ryan and a healthy DeMarcus Ware and a helping of Jay Ratliff.  2013 was the Monte Kiffin year, and 2014-15 have been our current defensive architect, Rod Marinelli.  Not to lower our bar or anything, but you can see how most of us just want to see the Cowboys climb into the 50th percentile in the league to feel like the pass rush has made major strides.  Being in the top 5 will require a massive investment and talent change, and although the Cowboys flirt with putting resources into this spot, they obviously do not have elite pass rushers right now.  So, to put this on tactics and strategies is simply unfair.  

That said, let's now visit about the stat that coaches really focus upon.  This is what makes all things equal from a statistical point of view.  It is sack rate.  In other words, how many pass plays does it take to get a sack?  If the average NFL game features each team attempting 38 pass plays (2015 numbers), then the question is based on expectation levels of how many pass plays does it require each defense to get a sack?

Now, see the data from above applied in that way:  How many passes do the Cowboys need for each sack?  In case there is any confusion, you want your bar to be small on this chart.  

And here we see the progress of 2015.  Since moving from the 3-4 to the 4-3, the Cowboys have been taking between 19 and 21 pass plays to get to the QB.  They needed way more pass plays than the league average to get there.  They just couldn't do it in 2013 and 2014.  Heck, in 2014, you can see Buffalo was almost completely doubling up the Cowboys.  It took the Bills just 11 passes to record a sack, but the Cowboys needed 21.  But, in 2015, the Cowboys cut that number down by a huge chunk.  Almost to a point where in 2015, the Cowboys column and the NFL average column almost were at the same height.  This is pretty major progress, to be honest.  It is basically a 20 percent improvement.  

Of course, it required a season of Greg Hardy and DeMarcus Lawrence and quite a few pieces that aren't here in 2016.   But, we need to understand sack totals from a proper perspective.  If your team is always ahead, you are going to get more sacks because your opponent has to throw (theoretically, that should have been 2014 for Dallas).  If your team is always behind, you are going to have a real issue getting to the QB because your opponent doesn't ever have to throw.  

And since we know how dramatically different the game situations were in 2014 and 2015, we are led to conclude that the 2014 pass rush was simply awful (despite the rest of the team being pretty nice) and the 2015 pass rush was not far at all from being a league-average pass rush.  

That said, since Hardy was so difficult the team just wanted him gone and since Lawrence and Gregory both got popped with suspensions, it is hard to say that there is any relation to the 2015 pass rush and the mysterious 2016 rush group.   There is also the consideration of how often do you blitz to get your sacks, but I wanted to keep this study simple.  If you blitz, you leave more space in your secondary, so it is all a balancing act.

Quite possibly, irrelevant, but just for your info: In the preseason opener, the Rams attempted 42 pass plays and were sacked once.  That clearly won't cut it.  

The league average has sat at right about one sack per 16 pass plays for the last five years.  That needs to be the goal that the coaching staff is setting for the team.  Whether they can get close is a whole other story.

Travis Frederick Signs Massive Extension - Who Is Next?

http://sportsday.dallasnews.com/dallas-cowboys/cowboys/2016/08/16/sturm-frederick-gets-massive-extension-next

Great news over the weekend was buried underneath a preseason game's reviews and observations in a way that was fitting for the player who signed it. 

Unlike some of his more high-profile teammates, Travis Frederick would seem to love it no other way when he signed a six-year extension all the way through the 2023 season (2018-2023) for $56.4 million with exactly half of that money guaranteed in a deal (although there are reports that say less is guaranteed) that makes him the highest paid center in football. 

Frederick surpasses Alex Mack ($45 million), Mike Pouncey ($44.75), Rodney Hudson ($44.5) and Maurkice Pouncey ($44.1) at the center position who have all recently signed deals that all put them in the $9 million-per-year range on five-year deals. Nick Mangold actually had the highest total-value contract of $54 million that he signed way back in 2010 that is about to expire but averaged $7.7 million a year. 

Frederick's new deal puts him at the top of both categories in terms of total value ($56.4 million) and average payout per year ($9.4 million). 

He just turned 25 years old and has completed his third year in the NFL, having already gone to the Pro Bowl twice and making the All-Pro team twice (second team) all while not missing a single game or snap. If you are wondering, Maurkice Pouncey finished first team All-Pro in 2014 and Ryan Kalil of Carolina finished first team in 2015. But, Frederick seems to take a back seat to nobody in his performance. There certainly have been moments in those three seasons when he may not have graded out as perfect, but to be completely honest, there are almost no moments that come to mind. He is as solid as a rock and therefore is seemingly as worthy of a contract extension as you can find. 

People do stress out when their team locks someone up to the biggest contract at their position -- especially Cowboys fans. Why? Because they have been conditioned to stress about the cap situation of this team for since the salary cap was adopted by the league a few decades back. Seemingly, each year the Cowboys have had to scale back, and do gymnastics to get under the bar with annual adjustments for relief instead of adding much needed players. 

I would simply suggest the following in matters like this. Yes, cap room matters and yes, you want to be careful when handing out deals of this magnitude, because there is no doubt that Frederick costs a lot of money moving forward for a center. 

But, this is actually the model move for model franchises. It is the conveyor belt of talent that hopefully never stops turning.  First, you draft a player that you think will be a high quality foundation piece (even if drafting a center or guard in the first round seems foolish to your observers) and then you develop him to be one of the faces of the franchise. And then you pay him (generally, ahead of schedule to save money that you would not save if you waited until the deadline in two years) to stay for his entire prime of his career. He will be past his 33rd birthday when this deal expires, and while nothing is a lock in professional sports, the prospect of this man seeing his whole deal seems relatively assured if his body holds up through the grind. 

In other words, "growing your own" and paying them your cap resources is the best way to achieve and sustain success in today's NFL. And the fact that we can now add Tyron Smith, Dez Bryant, Sean Lee and Travis Fredrick to the familiar names of Tony Romo and Jason Witten demonstrates some progress in the Cowboys' organizational goals to get where the successful franchises are. 

Now, we can look ahead to see who is next for the Cowboys to consider moving forward. Frederick now joins Smith as the longest contracts in the organization through 2023's season. The next three, Tyrone Crawford, Dan Bailey and Ezekiel Elliott, all have through 2020. Tony Romo, Dez Bryant, Sean Lee, Orlando Scandrick, Jeff Heath and Cedric Thornton - as well as this entire rookie class (besides Zeke) go through 2019. So that leaves the following three free agency classes: 

Expires after 2016: Lance Dunbar, Terrell McClain, Andrew Gachkar, David Irving, Darren McFadden, Brice Butler, Barry Church, Jack Crawford, Ron Leary, Kellen Moore, J.J. Wilcox, Terrance Williams, Morris Claiborne, Gavin Escobar, Rolando McClain 

Notes on the 2016 class: As you look at that above list, the names that are worth discussing at length would be Terrance Williams, Barry Church and Lance Dunbar. Then, based on their seasons, you might also consider David Irving, Brice Butler, Ron Leary and the rest of that 2013 draft class -- Wilcox, Escobar, etc. But, to be honest, there is nobody on this list that gives you too much stress. Williams is a classic case of hoping he makes you sign him with his play. 

Expires after 2017: Brandon Carr, Jason Witten, Doug Free, Zack Martin (option for 2018), La'el Collins, DeMarcus Lawrence, L.P. Ladouceur, Chris Jones, Alfred Morris, Kyle Wilber, Anthony Hitchens, Devin Street, Lucky Whitehead 

Notes on the 2017 class: This group also included Travis Frederick, so you can see from the big ticket items that you wanted to knock that one down quickly. Zack can be pushed to the next year (although there is every indication that in 12 months he will get the Frederick treatment, too) with his rookie-deal fifth year. Then come the interesting deals waiting for both La'el Collins and DeMarcus Lawrence. You can see how both could put in two great seasons (although for Lawrence his suspension situation complicates matters) and become very highly coveted free agents and therefore big deals at the perfect ages. Also, there are several other deals in here you may want to figure out, including a Jason Witten exit strategy. 

Expires after 2018: Cole Beasley, Byron Jones, James Hanna, Benson Mayowa, and basically the rest of the 2015 draft class: Randy Gregory, Chaz Green, Damien Wilson, Mark Nzeocha, Ryan Russell and Geoff Swaim. 

Notes on 2018 class: Hopefully, someone from this group besides Jones (who also can be pushed back with his option year) becomes a priority with their play on the field. From right here, it doesn't look too stressful. 

In other words, now that the Frederick deal is done, I think you would say that the front office has the following contracts listed as their top 3 in-house extensions to consider moving forward, in order:

1. G Zack Martin - two more seasons 
2. DE DeMarcus Lawrence - two more seasons 
3. WR Terrance Williams - after this year, provided he plays well enough to make them commit to his future.

The Morning After: Dak Prescott's Debut In Los Angeles

http://sportsday.dallasnews.com/dallas-cowboys/cowboys/2016/08/15/sturm-cowboys-morning-dak-prescotts-debut

It certainly gives me no joy to grab the exact same topic matter that any Cowboys enthusiast will in the aftermath of the preseason opener.  I prefer to zig when the media zags, but on this occasion, perhaps you could allow me to not take the road less traveled for the day after (or 2 days) analysis from the very first game of the preseason.  

After all, while I do have observations about David Irving, Chaz Green, James Morris, Anthony Brown, and several others of the young starlets, this game was always going to be a real look at what the Cowboys have behind Tony Romo as they try to decide how to handle that issue moving forward.

Most of the football world thinks the Cowboys need to shop for backups - especially since losing Kellen Moore.  Anyone who disagrees with them is simply arguing the side that says that since 2015 went so horribly bad with veteran backups, why not just roll with two kids in Dak Prescott and Jameill Showers under the heading of "it can't possibly be worse than what we saw last season."  I think that is a rather dangerous position to take, but Saturday night will likely add support to that side of the discussion.

Let's recap my Dak Prescott position.  It started in March when there was talk the Cowboys were so in love with Prescott that the team was considering a high second-round pick.  That may have been fiction, but when it happened, I spent a day with his Mississippi State tape for a draft preview and you can see that here.  

I summarized my feelings at the end of that piece:  the odds of QBs in this range of a draft developing into something special are much longer than most pundits (or teams) are willing to admit. That said, at the right price (top of Round 3?), you can see why Prescott may be a prospect that a coach like Scott Linehan believes he can develop and get to agree to the Romo retirement timeline. There are certainly traits and flashes where you can see a high ceiling.

I wanted the right price.  Which, to me, wasn't ever going to be pick No. 34.  Then, he slid and slid and slid.  The Cowboys pretty much confirmed to us at the top of Round 4 (pick No. 101) that they wanted Connor Cook from Michigan State, but when the Raiders traded in front of them, they moved on to DE Charles Tapper.  Dallas came back to the idea when Prescott remained available at No. 135 in the compensatory picks in Round 4. 

Was Prescott worthy of a second-round pick?  Not to me.  But a late fourth?  Let's do it.  

Fast forward to two weeks back.  Kellen Moore is lost for the year and we are looking at Prescott and Showers every day in practice.  Prescott is smartly checking his passes down and keeping them out of trouble.  Showers is pressing the ball down the field and looking like he is campaigning for No. 2 behind Romo.  I think both QBs are doing the right thing as Prescott is in the oven for 2017 and 2018 as a developmental play, whereas Showers is trying to convince the braintrust that he can do it and they shouldn't pull the trigger on a trade for a veteran.  The biggest reason there is if they make a trade, it will be Showers on the streets to make room.

Then Saturday happened.

I am not sure how much you read into preseason game No. 1, but it should not be too much.  Most of the time you get limited participation and almost no tactical preparation for the opponent.  Game plans are vanilla and the objective is generally to see young players with live ammunition to see how they respond.  Otherwise, get through it without major injuries and get back to camp.

Well, all that being said, my plan was to look the good and the bad of Dak Prescott's debut.  He did not cooperate.  He provided nothing bad to analyze.  

So, here is the good.

First drive and after a Geoff Swaim drop and an Alfred Morris run, the Cowboys have 3rd and 1.  This is easy, right?  Rams' franchise tag recipient, Trumaine Johnson, plays off and soft on Beasley and Cole runs a slant where Dak hits him in stride for some easy work.  Pretty casual coverage there by Johnson against a guy who is a third down machine, but hey, it is August 13th.  

Why Dez Bryant was in uniform on Saturday night is a real mystery, to be honest.  It sounded like he talked his way into the lineup, which is a fantastic leadership anecdote if it works (it did) or a disaster that requires someone's job if he hurts himself (especially after last season where he did talk his way into the lineup too soon and hurt himself again).  Regardless, Dez is a QB's dream in that you throw him 50/50 balls and he makes it look so easy.  

Dak has this throw in his bag and this is exciting because not every QB can do this (Matt Cassel, Brandon Weeden, Kellen Moore), but if you can throw that back shoulder fade with authority and location, it can really be an issue for the defense.  Look at that beauty against Coty Sensabaugh.

Then back underneath to the security blanket of Beasley.  Keep in mind here the blitz is arriving and he is throwing right into it. Pretty veteran QB play there.

Above, it is 3rd and 11.  This is a play in which every team is expecting you to run on 3rd and 11.  It is the screen which satisfies the desire to make high percentage throws on 3rd and long which still have a chance to move the chains (especially behind this offensive line).  The timing is key and the location is vital, and Prescott checks both boxes, then Morris does the rest.  This is really encouraging, too, even though most people just assume it is easy.  I think we see it done poorly often enough to know it really isn't that easy.

And because they extended that opening drive with that screen, Prescott is allowed to make that same throw to Dez against Sensabaugh that they made minutes earlier.   Is this a Run/Pass option that is a give unless he sees the backside WR in man coverage?  Especially if that WR wears No. 88?  See the safety TJ McDonald No. 25 thinking run?  Either way, Coty Sensabaugh again is at the mercy of Dez and you can see that Bryant isn't losing this battle.  Good location, better receiver.  

This is pretty.  So, the Rams decide to show more zone on the next Cowboys' drive.  Especially with Dez Bryant now on the sideline.  So, the Cowboys start the next drive with a play-action pass and it appears the Rams are in a Cover 3 with Prescott tossing a "Cover-3 beater" strike to Brice Butler on that deep out.  The throw is on time and it all looks very easy.

The next throw is the signature play of his performance and you can just see the coaches and Dak in the break between the 1st and 2nd Quarter debating whether they should take a shot on the first play.  

Again, it looks like Cover 3 to me, and it looks like Williams beats the corner and the safety can't get there.  This is a throw.  The "drop it in a bucket from 40 yards" throw.  He didn't even allow Chaz Green's problems with that stunt throw him off.  Fire up that hype train and let's ride.  

Same throw from the end zone view.  He keeps the safety in the middle with his eyes.  And then puts the ball where it needs to go.  

This last play for Dak is maybe my favorite.  It is 3rd and a mile.  Players have to understand football to play QB.  We know the odds of converting 3rd and 26 are minuscule.  But, we also know that the FG range is the real goal.  Five yards gets us a chance.  Ten yards gets us a better chance.  And more than 10 yards makes it nearly automatic for Dan Bailey.  Prescott feels the blitz, leaves out the other side, and gets almost 15.  This is a high IQ read of the situation.  And then he gets down.  Brilliant stuff.

Now, you can't win with fans.  Either you are not positive enough and you are a hater or you are too positive and people tell you to put away the anointing oil.

That's fine.  We all know he can't do that every week.  How do we know?  Because his QB rating was pretty much perfect (154.5) and we have seen football before so we will rule that out on a weekly basis.

As we knew, he is interesting for sure.  He has upside.  And now he has this game for every Cowboys fan to reference for years that "he has it in him".  He should be very proud of his performance and confident that he can play at this level.

Now, we see what is next on his path.  Should the Cowboys now feel that backup QB is fine?  No.  QB is defined by consistency and repeatability.  He must do what so many have had to do in their career. Turn out another performance on Friday night that offers more information and evaluation.

But, man.  He will always have that first night in Los Angeles.  That was awesome.  

DMN Cowboys Mailbag - Aug 12

http://sportsday.dallasnews.com/dallas-cowboys/cowboys/2016/08/12/sturms-weekly-cowboys-mailbag-time-play-football-game

A little bit of history will be made tomorrow night at the L.A. Coliseum, but for the most part the game will likely measure up against other preseason openers around here -- which means it won't take much more than 30 minutes for you to wonder why you were so excited to see a preseason football game.

The Cowboys seldom risk a player in the preseason -- especially the opener -- so don't expect to see any of Tony Romo, Dez Bryant, Jason Witten, Tyron Smith or Ezekiel Elliott in the game. That will ramp up as the month goes on, but on Saturday, we can finally see Jameill Showers connect with Andy Jones and wonder if either will make the squad. It's NFL football, but we still must wait another month for the good stuff.

Meanwhile, let's answer your questions and discuss whatever is on your mind right here, right now:

Q: With current state of defense can it really be said that Cowboys are best team in NFC East?

For me, I think the Cowboys will be able to compete for this division. We should understand that this is likely the weakest division in the NFC and the margins are very tight. Yes, Dallas seems to have a collection of what could be the finest offense in a league where that decides things in the regular season quite a bit. Washington is much better than I think people believe (especially now having added Josh Norman, as well as an interesting draft class) and New York has spent a ton to close the gap. Philadelphia is almost certainly going to be out of the mix, but you know how August predictions can go sometimes. The Cowboys' defense is not great and just like the offense, a single injury in the wrong place can really destroy things. That said, I do think that this defense can make the case for average. If they can play average defense, and I think they can, then this offense can put them in the range of 10 wins. It is all about the takeaways, and given that they were up at 31 in 2014 and 11 in 2015, I am going to play the average in 2016 and assume they can split the difference at about 21. That would make them incredibly more competitive.

Q: What are the signs of encouragement fans should look for in the first preseason game?

Well, it is the first preseason game, so relax your bar a bit. The Rams will be trying to impress the world in their L.A. debut and the Cowboys will be hiding their best players on the sidelines. But, it is fair to say you would like to see some flashes from the young players who need to impress. Byron Jones at safety, David Irving at defensive end, and hopefully a major step forward from Brice Butler and types like him who need to grab a roster spot by the scruff of the neck. I have a list of things I am looking for, but that will mostly start with seeing these draft picks -- unfortunately, Zeke, Jaylon Smith (of course) and Maliek Collins won't be out there. So instead, we want to see Charles Tapper, Dak Prescott, Anthony Brown, Kavon Frazier, Darius Jackson and maybe even a little from Rico Gathers. Obviously, Andy Jones is also in that mix and keep an eye on defensive tackle Rodney Coe. I don't know what you are going to see as far as massive signs of encouragement. Let's just look for kids to make impressions. It is the first preseason game. Just get through it.

Q: What's your best guess on how the Leary situation plays out?

That he is kept all season as an insurance policy and that there is a decent chance he is forced to play and maybe play a lot. The Cowboys have had uncommon health on their offensive line in these past few years and that won't continue forever. Most teams have to find a sixth and seventh offensive lineman to play a lot during seasons and the Cowboys likely will have their chance at some point.

Q: How risky is it for the Cowboys to wait this long before signing a vet QB to back up Romo? Seems like people like Prescott and Showers but haven't seen anyone say they are ready to get snaps in an actual game

I think this is where we look at these first two preseason games and watch Jameill Showers closely. I hope you read the piece I wrote about him this week and the conflict of how he plays and what Jason Garrett looks for in a backup. I think he has an opportunity here, but we should not assume the leash is long. If Showers plays well, he may keep getting chances. If his composite results of the first few games are not good, then the shopping for a vet will commence in earnest. I like him plenty, but it may not be a great fit. As for Prescott, I still believe the plan is to keep him away from the field all year, and therefore they will use this preseason as a taste for him. But, then they will relegate him to third string all year if they can.

Q: On a scale of 1-10 how worried should fans be about Zeke's injury?

I would give it a 1. Not at all. This is preseason precaution. They plan on giving him 300 touches, I am sure. It is a long year. Pace yourself.

Q: Have you seen anything encouraging from the Cowboys' pass rush in training camp?

Sure. But, we have to proceed with the understanding that their best pass rusher, by a good margin, is DeMarcus Lawrence. He won't be back until October because of his suspension. But, if you read my breakdown of David Irving, you know what I think of him. I think Tyrone Crawford will be back this year. I think Benson Mayowa will be very good on the edge. I think Maliek Collins can be solid. This team won't be powerless and Rod may use more linebacker pressure this year. Look for some more A-gap pressure up the middle from Sean Lee and friends this year. We have seen glimpses of that in Oxnard, for sure.

Q: Position we are pleasantly surprised by, and position we are surprisingly disappointed by at year's end? I'll hang up and listen

Well, I bet that D-line might get better reviews than they are getting previews. So let me go with them. I really think Lawrence will be a beast when he gets there and I don't understand how little love Cedric Thornton is getting right now. He will make a real difference.

On the down side, I am worried about wide receiver. I am fine with Dez and Cole Beasley, of course. Terrance Williams is in a contract year and he needs to have a big one. Other than that, I don't see much of anything. They need some kids to emerge. Devin Street, Brice Butler and friends all need to decide who is going to be an NFL contributor in a hurry. They need to demonstrate hands, separation and dependability with the quarterback. And it needs to happen quickly.

Q: Which current RB do you see gone when Dunbar returns? Morris? DMac, Jackson, Smith?

McFadden. I am not sure he makes the 53 without Dunbar, to be honest. They need running back help that can play special teams. That is Jackson and even Morris. McFadden is not a great fit here, despite his fine 2015.

Q: Does Tapper start game 1?

I highly doubt it. He has a chance to be a contributor, but if he is starting Game 1, then we have some real issues with others. If I were to guess the opening-day front four, give me Tyrone Crawford and Cedric Thornton inside with David Irving and Jack Crawford outside. Not great, but dependable veterans and decent depth behind them. Tapper should be part of that.

Q:  Which totally fixable issue that the Cowboys failed to address will destroy their season this year?

That seems a bit of a pessimistic viewpoint, but the totally fixable issues that were not addressed would have to be going to get a backup quarterback you felt great about, continuing to depend upon Rolando McClain in the middle of your defense when he has proven to you repeatedly that he cannot be depended upon, and over-investing in a running back when that wasn't a weakness on the team -- on any level -- when the Nos. 4 and 34 picks could have both been placed on instant blue-chip starters on your defense for Day 1. In fact, Jacksonville picked behind you in each round and took Jalen Ramsey and Myles Jack -- two players who will start for them in Week 1 and will add top talent to their defense (we assume).

That said, I have never been a general manager and they didn't ask me to be. But you did!

Enjoy football. It is back. Sort of. And we can discuss the events of Saturday night with a Monday morning dissection.

David Irving Is About To Break Out

http://sportsday.dallasnews.com/dallas-cowboys/cowboys/2016/08/11/sturm-defensive-pick-click-wears-95-de-david-irving

I have been asked quite a few times to throw out a name I think is most likely to emerge from the ashes and become a real contributor on defense. Now, this is the type of story that will be used against me down the road if it never materializes, but that is the fun of this time of year. You take some flashes from the season before, you focus on the man at practice, you eye the most important element of opportunity and your brain spits out a name that is right in front of your face.

David Irving.

David Irving is one of those players who those of us who watch football all year have always been interested in. He has all the tools. He is a massive man standing at 6-foot-7 but also is slender, athletic and has arms that are absurdly long. He also has the sweet bird of youth on his side as he is still just 22 years old. In other words, many rookies are older than he is as he takes his second trip around the NFL.

He was at Iowa State until he was kicked off the team for a few incidents during his time there. The charges were dropped on the serious one (alleged domestic abuse) and the other one sounds like something 20-year-old football players might do (taking part in an altercation where he was holding a vandalized stop sign when photographed and then arrested). Nothing like killing your draft stock by being kicked off a program that is not exactly known for turning out NFL stars.

So, he went undrafted and was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs. He did not make their team out of camp -- many of us thought that was a weird scheme fit for him to be in a 3-4 defense -- and was signed to their practice squad in September. Less than a month later, the Cowboys came calling when they were running low on defensive linemen (and had just been humiliated by Atlanta in Week 3) and offered him a roster spot in Dallas. He jumped on that chance Sept. 29.  

Basically, the Cowboys were trying to figure out how to piece their defensive line together on the fly at the time. Greg Hardy was about to return, Randy Gregory was getting healthy, DeMarcus Lawrence was starting to play, Tyrone Crawford was trying to play through a hurt shoulder and so on and so on. With David Irving, they just wanted a player to develop.

Well, he played very sparingly. In fact, he played 199 snaps over 12 games -- roughly 16 snaps per game (the defense played about 65 each game). All told, he played the 19th-most snaps of anybody on the Cowboys' defensive roster last year. Hardly a drop in the bucket.

So why would I choose him as my "pick to click" in 2016? I really enjoyed those 199 plays.

And as you know, Gregory, Hardy and Lawrence won't be keeping him nailed to the bench. Starting this weekend, if David Irving can play defensive end like they think he can, he should be able to move that workload up to 35 snaps per game in no time.

The Cowboys desperately need some defensive ends to step up. By the way, this is the portion of the blog where I should emphasize how great DeMarcus Lawrence looks. I really wish the suspension didn't occur, but since it did, his first double-digit sack season may not happen. But, he looks ready and fully developed.

Otherwise, it is Ryan Russell, Benson Mayowa (who we haven't seen yet), Charles Tapper and Irving. If Mayowa and Irving are the top two on Sept. 11, I would be pleased. I think Irving is ready.

But he needs to really show up in these games in August to prove that.

This morning, I wanted to demonstrate why I am so impressed by him. But I don't want to use practice video, because I just don't think that is very important when you compare it to plays in actual games. And he was able to demonstrate his quality with very limited work last year. In fact, if you check his splash play productivity, you will see that his "splashes per snap" number was superior to everyone on the defensive line except Lawrence. And he was virtually tied with Lawrence at 28 snaps per splash. Very impressive for an undrafted rookie for sure.

I pulled all of his splash plays from 2015 on the All-22's and thought you may enjoy seeing those eight moments from his action last year where he "made a play." Irving is No. 95 in these cut-ups.

Here is his NFL debut in New Orleans. Days after being signed he was getting action at 3-technique and showing the tools. How quick is this guy? Dive bombs a play in the opposite direction like DeMarcus Lawrence might and logged a tackle for loss. That is what we are looking for from these guys. Some penetration and production.

If there is one play you remember clearly, I would think it is the fourth-quarter blocked field goal against Seattle where he preserved the lead for the Cowboys in his first home game. This is obviously his gift as he has the size and the arm length to be a field goal blocker for years and years. Set him up right off the center's shoulder and tell him to push and leap. A real game-saver (temporarily). Again, the movement skills after the block are not those of a defensive tackle. He seems super athletic inside.

Three-technique again the following week against Philadelphia. The left tackle (Lane Johnson) has to close that gap or Irving may shoot through. He does exactly that with cat-like quicks and scores another tackle for loss. We hoped for this from Tyrone Crawford, but his injury messed up his 2015. But, wow, this was available off the streets? Those are really impressive bursts.

Same song, different verse -- 3-tech. Run away from him. Ask the tackle to close him off. Irving destroys it, this time with power. Sproles had no chance. Get this guy on the field more! You will also notice Lawrence killing the tight end, too. It would be nice to see these guys on the field at the same time in October.

Now, let's see some pass rush. Keep in mind all of this is from the defensive tackle spot -- not defensive end. This poor guard barely touched Irving off the snap. Quick, quick, quick. He is in Bradford's lap in an instant. You have to like that ability -- the kind that will get him double-teamed very soon.

You are probably thinking that with all of this action in his first month in Dallas, he would play even more down the stretch.

... He didn't. There were three more plays down the stretch that were notable, and they started playing him out wider, too. Here is a shared sack in Miami in the final minutes.

Look at that crew. Hardy, Crawford and Gregory with Irving. A little stunt with four athletic men weaving in and out and meeting at the quarterback. Those appear to be the best-laid plans. Again, the quickness of Irving combined with his ability to convert it to power is just not common. You could tell me those are first-round traits. He is 22. He has that in his bag.

Thanksgiving Day, he is back at the 3-tech and isolated with a guard on a pass play where he gets those long arms on a throw from Cam Newton. Guards don't want to deal with Irving in pass protection and that may be his best attribute if he shows he can play defensive end -- the versatility to play everywhere. So useful.

Here was his final "splash play." I score holding penalties drawn as splash plays because they often end drives. Here, a high-quality guard, No. 71, Josh Sitton, has to hold him to keep a play from being destroyed and gets caught.

Overall, I think he has a real chance to be something. Of course, he is also an undrafted free agent who is just trying to prove he belongs in the NFL. In other words, the Cowboys are exposed at this position badly because of the suspensions and now must roll the dice on a kid who is largely anonymous across the league, and even to many Cowboys fans.

But I liked his 2015 and I like his training camp. Now, the talented youngster has to prove he can handle things in preseason. If he can, he starts opening night. From there, this guy can make a ton of money playing pro football if he keeps doing what he is doing.

Sometimes, all a kid needs is a chance. And he is definitely about to get one.