Wade Phillips... Cowboys question

[bedlamVR]

Also if Phillips is going to focus primarally on defence then who is going to be there to look after Owens and Glenn and the rest of the offence? Jarrett?...i am sure his 2 years as a QB coach in Miami will come in handy.

[Birdlives]

Does change for the BETTER even enter your brain. We weren't so hot with BP down the stretch ever. Why do you act as if we WANT what he had previously.

As a Cowboy fan, I'm optimistic simply because I know I don't have to watch Parcells' vanilla style of play for another season. This new coaching staff brings a much more aggressive and innovative style of play with them. Which is obviously very exciting for us Cowboy fans.

In other words its the old "addition by subtraction" theory, got it. Do any other cowboys fans wish to elaborate?

Another question,

Certainly Parcells is the superior talent evaluator between him, Phillips, and Jones.

So why is it cowboys fans, at least in here, think that now that Parcells is gone the talent level won't drop off?

Another question related to the OP.

Doesn't it stand to reason that Parcells stocked the roster with his guys?

I understand that the transition isn't huge on the defensive side, but these guys were hand picked by BP to run HIS style of "vanilla" 3-4, not the attacking style of Phillips.

Doesn't it worry any cowboys fans that these guys are not well suited to Wade's defense?

Certainly the front 7 will be heading towards the O-Line more now, doesn't it worry cowboys fans at all that the DB's will be forced into more 1 on 1 coverage?

If you have 7-8 guys going one direction, that leaves 3-4 to cover WR's. 3 step drops, quick outs, screens could become a huge liability, no?

Wasn't there an article about Tank Johnson that was suggesting that Ferguson wasn't an ideal nose tackle in Wade's system because he's more immobile? I'll try to find the quote.

Wouldn't it stand to reason that some other guys on the defense are similarly unsuitable?

Just wondering.

[TheFan]

In other words its the old "addition by subtraction" theory, got it. Do any other cowboys fans wish to elaborate?

Another question,

Certainly Parcells is the superior talent evaluator between him, Phillips, and Jones.

So why is it cowboys fans, at least in here, think that now that Parcells is gone the talent level won't drop off?

Another question related to the OP.

Doesn't it stand to reason that Parcells stocked the roster with his guys?

I understand that the transition isn't huge on the defensive side, but these guys were hand picked by BP to run HIS style of "vanilla" 3-4, not the attacking style of Phillips.

Doesn't it worry any cowboys fans that these guys are not well suited to Wade's defense?

Certainly the front 7 will be heading towards the O-Line more now, doesn't it worry cowboys fans at all that the DB's will be forced into more 1 on 1 coverage?

If you have 7-8 guys going one direction, that leaves 3-4 to cover WR's. 3 step drops, quick outs, screens could become a huge liability, no?

Wasn't there an article about Tank Johnson that was suggesting that Ferguson wasn't an ideal nose tackle in Wade's system because he's more immobile? I'll try to find the quote.

Wouldn't it stand to reason that some other guys on the defense are similarly unsuitable?

Just wondering.

Addition by subtraction? How so?

Do you think Dallas got the same coach that led the NYG and NE to SB's? Parcells' force of personalilty was so strong with those teams but it never seemed that way while he was in Dallas. I never saw a soft side to him until he came to Dallas. Parcells can still recognize talent, but he didn't seem to have the energy to drive them to excellence throughout the entire season like he used to.

By the way, while Parcells was good at selecting talent, he had help. Ireland was hired as the scouting director and is still with Dallas. As far as Wade's ability spotting talent, I haven't reviewed drafts to see how he faired. Either way, Ireland and Wade togther could be a good tandem. We'll see.

How do you know that the current roster isn't well suited to run Wade's defense? No one really knows yet. Personally I don't think its as big a transition as it's been made out to be here. Again, we'll see.

As far as more one-on-one coverage goes, it's fine as long as the pressure gets there. I think the secondary can hold their own with press coverage as long as the QB doesn't have the time for his receivers to make that second move.

IMO - Last year Dallas faded in December and a good part of that was because of the defensive performances. Parcell's style had the defensive linemen and LB's engaging the linemen on every play and then break free after the play to make the tackle or sack. That seems a lot more wearing than attacking a gap and playing the pass and run simultaniously. Don't you think?

TheFan

[bedlamVR]

As far as more one-on-one coverage goes, it's fine as long as the pressure gets there. I think the secondary can hold their own with press coverage as long as the QB doesn't have the time for his receivers to make that second move.

I think this will make things in the NFCE esspecially interesting to watch because it seems that the Skins have polar opposite defensive stratagy to the Boys where Williams defence is all about coverage and stiffiling an offence by cutting off its options and Phillips is about pressure and attacking an offence head on.

Phillips and Williams are thought of highly as defensive minds (not wanting to take anything away from Jim Johnson) it will be interesting to see who is right and most effective.

[tr1]

Just the type of response I expected from you.

I'm happy to accommodate...

:laugh:

[TheFan]

I think this will make things in the NFCE esspecially interesting to watch because it seems that the Skins have polar opposite defensive stratagy to the Boys where Williams defence is all about coverage and stiffiling an offence by cutting off its options and Phillips is about pressure and attacking an offence head on.

Phillips and Williams are thought of highly as defensive minds (not wanting to take anything away from Jim Johnson) it will be interesting to see who is right and most effective.

I was thinking along the same lines. It will be fun to see it play out.

TheFan

[Fred Jones]

Remember, Wade had good Dline players in SD and they could stop the run which allowed them to go after the QB. If the pukes can't stop the run I don't care who they send.

[ouvan59]

:doh:

Parcells big thing was to maintain your gap. Don't overpenetrate, just hold your ground. Phillips 3-4 is all about pressure. The hell with your gap, get upfield and wreak havoc. Its worked everywhere he's been. Its all about pressure really.

You mean except when it hasn't worked. Phillips has either been a defensive coordinator or head coach every year for the last 25 years. He has had a defense ranked better than 10th eight times and a defense ranked worse than 20th nine times. His average ranking the last 5 years has been 19th. Your average defensive ranking under Parcells? 9.5.

Phillips may be the answer to all your defensive woes but let's not make this guy out to be any greater than he is. His defense hasn't always worked.

[Birdlives]

Addition by subtraction? How so?

Do you think Dallas got the same coach that led the NYG and NE to SB's? Parcells' force of personalilty was so strong with those teams but it never seemed that way while he was in Dallas. I never saw a soft side to him until he came to Dallas. Parcells can still recognize talent, but he didn't seem to have the energy to drive them to excellence throughout the entire season like he used to.

By the way, while Parcells was good at selecting talent, he had help. Ireland was hired as the scouting director and is still with Dallas. As far as Wade's ability spotting talent, I haven't reviewed drafts to see how he faired. Either way, Ireland and Wade togther could be a good tandem. We'll see.

How do you know that the current roster isn't well suited to run Wade's defense? No one really knows yet. Personally I don't think its as big a transition as it's been made out to be here. Again, we'll see.

As far as more one-on-one coverage goes, it's fine as long as the pressure gets there. I think the secondary can hold their own with press coverage as long as the QB doesn't have the time for his receivers to make that second move.

IMO - Last year Dallas faded in December and a good part of that was because of the defensive performances. Parcell's style had the defensive linemen and LB's engaging the linemen on every play and then break free after the play to make the tackle or sack. That seems a lot more wearing than attacking a gap and playing the pass and run simultaniously. Don't you think?

TheFan

There are some pretty good answers here so I'll respond with what I think.

Yes, it is addition by subtraction. You're subtracting Parcells, you remember, the guy that took a cowboys team full of junk to 10-6 his first year? I dont know if you can discount his coaching ability so readily just because the team went 9-7 and 9-7 the last two years and dissappointed the fans. I know the press likes to build them up because they're popular, but it may be that they're simply a middling team talent-wise.

Just an opinion, but other than the first round pick and the deal with Cleveland that Jerry basically fell into, I didn't see alot to jump up and down about in regards to dallas' draft. Again, JMO, but the rest of their draft was not very good.

My point with the current roster still stands. I could just as easily ask how you know it IS capable of playing in Wade's system considering they have yet to play. The point is a pretty good one. After all, Parcells picked them with his system in mind, not Wade's.

The one on one coverage should be a concern. Dallas' backfield was not addressed and did not play well last year even with help from the LB's and Williams. Now they're being asked to do more with less. And yes, as long as the front gets to the QB it works, but what about when it doesn't. Sacks hurries and QB pressures dont happen on every pass play, perhaps not even on every third or fourth play. To pretend that dallas' front 7 is so good without having seen them in the system that they will be in the face of the opposing QB that often seems at the very best optimistic. Like I said, there are ways to beat good blitzing front lines (quick outs, screens, etc.). It seems to me dallas could struggle with teams that have good offensive lines and pick up the blitz well. In the end it could be that for every pressure or sack they get they would be giving up a big gain on the pass.

I think as far as whether attacking or holding creates more wear and tear I would think it depends on the situation. This one point isn't really something we can know for sure.

[Reic]

The beauty of today's NFL is that what happened yester-year can not hold water to the upcoming season, in most cases. I know all we have to go off of is stats from year previous, but as far as I know, none of us are clairvoyant, so most of the stuff we say are just bold predictions that we hope work out.

I am interested in seeing what Wade can do in Dallas, specifically because of how his defense in Sand Diego worked. I am also interested in seeing how San Diego's defense does this year without Phillips at the helm. Everyone knows that Wade, as a head coach, has a pretty bad track record, but you never know. Look at the Saints and Jets last year, what those organizations did was phenomenol.

[Chachie]

I think Wade will benefit greatly from the talent that Parcells put together. Phillips has at LEAST the talent level on defense that he had in San Diego. Ware is a BEAST, Newman/Williams are awesome and his scheme is proven.

It's the offense that will make or break the season for the new OC down there. It's not Wade Phillips that will be under the microscope this season, even though ultimately it's his team. It's Jason Garrett that needs to shine. He's got arguably the best pass-catching corps with TO, Glenn, and Witten. This will help Romo sits to pee but Julius Jones needs to step it up and the o-line is suspect.

I will say this much- TWO new coordinators and a QB who must regain his poise. Wow. That would worry me.

[TheFan]

Remember, Wade had good Dline players in SD and they could stop the run which allowed them to go after the QB. If the pukes can't stop the run I don't care who they send.

It's difficult to compare players that play in different systems but the Cowboys were decent against the run last year, 10th I believe. In any case, isn't it usually the LB's that are key in 3-4 to stopping the run?

Like I said, we'll see how it works out.

TheFan

[Passizle]

Hello all,

I just thought I would post my two cents here to try and understand the same thing the OP had stated. (Why do most Cowboy fans think Wade will be a great addition?"

Well... having nothing better to do at work today I decided to do a little digging and get some dirt on Mr. Phillips. What I found was pretty eye opening to day the least.

At first glance, Wade look like a down right decent coach who can get the job done. Plus he fits right in with Dallas' scheme of losing in the playoffs. Wade is 0-3 in that dpartment. But I digress.

If you take a look a Wades coaching career, I am pretty surprise Jerrah gave him the job. Here are some quick notes from Wades career.

1985 HC on NO Saints. Def ranked 24th in the league. 22nd in PA.

1986 DC of PHI Eagles. Def ranked 18th in the league. 12th in PA.

1987 DC of PHI Eagles. Def ranked 26th in the league. 25th in PA.

1988 DC of PHI Eagles. Def ranked 28th in the league. 14th in PA.

1989 DC of DEN Broncos. Def ranked 3rd in the league. 1st in PA.

1990 DC of DEN Broncos. Def ranked 22nd in the league. 23rd in PA.

1991 DC of DEN broncos. Def ranked 7th (Not bad) in the league. 3rd in PA.

1992 DC of DEN Broncos. Def ranked 23d in the league. 19th in PA.

1993 HC of DEN Broncos. Def ranked 22nd in the league. 10th in PA.

1994 HC of DEN Broncos. Def ranked 27th in the league. 25th in PA.

1995 DC of BUF Bills. Def ranked 17th in the league. 12th in PA.

1996 DC of BUF Bills. Def ranked 10th (Decent) in the league. 6th in PA.

1997 DC of BUF Bills. Def ranked 11th (A little slip) in the league. 23rd in PA.

1998 HC of BUF Bills. Def ranked 7th (Not bad) in the league. 15th in PA.

1999 HC of BUF Bills. Def ranked 1st (Its about damn time!) in the league. 2nd in PA (maybe someone can help me here. Who was Buffalos DC during 1999 and 2000 seasons. I cant seem to find that out and judging by the history of Wade, I doubt he handled this himself.)

2000 HC of BUF Bills. Def ranked 3rd (Nice!) in the league. 18th in PA.

2001 No history.

2002 DC of ATL Falcons. Def ranked 23rd. 8th in PA.

2003 DC/HC of ATL Falcons. Def ranked 32nd. 30th in PA.

2004 DC of SDG Chargers. Def ranked 16th in the league. 11th in PA.

2005 DC of SDG Chargers. Def ranked 16th in the league. 13th in PA.

2006 DC of SDG Chargers. Def ranked 10th in the league. 7th in PA.

So why is this guy so highly touted again? I think his good years were more about the talent he had then the scheme he employed.

So... judging by all that information, how do you think this man is going to make the 13th overall defensive ranked Cowboys any better than they already were? History shows, he usually makes teams worse.

[Riggo#44]

Hello all,

I just thought I would post my two cents here to try and understand the same thing the OP had stated. (Why do most Cowboy fans think Wade will be a great addition?"

Well... having nothing better to do at work today I decided to do a little digging and get some dirt on Mr. Phillips. What I found was pretty eye opening to day the least.

At first glance, Wade look like a down right decent coach who can get the job done. Plus he fits right in with Dallas' scheme of losing in the playoffs. Wade is 0-3 in that dpartment. But I digress.

If you take a look a Wades coaching career, I am pretty surprise Jerrah gave him the job. Here are some quick notes from Wades career.

1985 HC on NO Saints. Def ranked 24th in the league.

1986 DC of PHI Eagles. Def ranked 18th in the league.

1987 DC of PHI Eagles. Def ranked 26th in the league.

1988 DC of PHI Eagles. Def ranked 28th in the league.

1989 DC of DEN Broncos. Def ranked 3rd in the league.

1990 DC of DEN Broncos. Def ranked 22nd in the league.

1991 DC of DEN broncos. Def ranked 7th (Not bad) in the league.

1992 DC of DEN Broncos. Def ranked 23d in the league.

1993 HC of DEN Broncos. Def ranked 22nd in the league.

1994 HC of DEN Broncos. Def ranked 27th in the league.

1995 DC of BUF Bills. Def ranked 17th in the league.

1996 DC of BUF Bills. Def ranked 10th (Decent) in the league.

1997 DC of BUF Bills. Def ranked 11th (A little slip) in the league.

1998 HC of BUF Bills. Def ranked 7th (Not bad) in the league.

1999 HC of BUF Bills. Def ranked 1st (Its about damn time!) in the league. (maybe someone can help me here. Who was Buffalos DC during 1999 and 2000 seasons. I cant seem to find that out and judging by the history of Wade, I doubt he handled this himself.)

2000 HC of BUF Bills. Def ranked 3rd (Nice!) in the league.

2001 No history.

2002 DC of ATL Falcons. Def ranked 23rd.

2003 DC/HC of ATL Falcons. Def ranked 32nd.

2004 DC of SDG Chargers. Def ranked 16th in the league.

2005 DC of SDG Chargers. Def ranked 16th in the league.

2006 DC of SDG Chargers. Def ranked 10th in the league.

So why is this guy so highly touted again? I think his good years were more about the talent he had then the scheme he employed.

So... judging by all that information, how do you think this man is going to make the 13th overall defensive ranked Cowboys any better than they already were? History shows, he usually makes teams worse.

1999 was Ted Cotrell, from what I have gathered. I am not sure about 2000

[Birdlives]

Hello all,

I just thought I would post my two cents here to try and understand the same thing the OP had stated. (Why do most Cowboy fans think Wade will be a great addition?"

Well... having nothing better to do at work today I decided to do a little digging and get some dirt on Mr. Phillips. What I found was pretty eye opening to day the least.

At first glance, Wade look like a down right decent coach who can get the job done. Plus he fits right in with Dallas' scheme of losing in the playoffs. Wade is 0-3 in that dpartment. But I digress.

If you take a look a Wades coaching career, I am pretty surprise Jerrah gave him the job. Here are some quick notes from Wades career.

Nice stuff. If you still have time you should pull where his defenses ranked in terms of points allowed as well. If I'm not mistaken some of those subpar years his teams did better in points allowed.

[TheFan]

There are some pretty good answers here so I'll respond with what I think.

Yes, it is addition by subtraction. You're subtracting Parcells, you remember, the guy that took a cowboys team full of junk to 10-6 his first year? I dont know if you can discount his coaching ability so readily just because the team went 9-7 and 9-7 the last two years and dissappointed the fans. I know the press likes to build them up because they're popular, but it may be that they're simply a middling team talent-wise.

Just an opinion, but other than the first round pick and the deal with Cleveland that Jerry basically fell into, I didn't see alot to jump up and down about in regards to dallas' draft. Again, JMO, but the rest of their draft was not very good.

My point with the current roster still stands. I could just as easily ask how you know it IS capable of playing in Wade's system considering they have yet to play. The point is a pretty good one. After all, Parcells picked them with his system in mind, not Wade's.

The one on one coverage should be a concern. Dallas' backfield was not addressed and did not play well last year even with help from the LB's and Williams. Now they're being asked to do more with less. And yes, as long as the front gets to the QB it works, but what about when it doesn't. Sacks hurries and QB pressures dont happen on every pass play, perhaps not even on every third or fourth play. To pretend that dallas' front 7 is so good without having seen them in the system that they will be in the face of the opposing QB that often seems at the very best optimistic. Like I said, there are ways to beat good blitzing front lines (quick outs, screens, etc.). It seems to me dallas could struggle with teams that have good offensive lines and pick up the blitz well. In the end it could be that for every pressure or sack they get they would be giving up a big gain on the pass.

I think as far as whether attacking or holding creates more wear and tear I would think it depends on the situation. This one point isn't really something we can know for sure.

You give BP props for taking a team, pretty much as is, and turning them from a 5-11 team to 10-6. My take is that the difference between Dave Campo and any competent coach was worth 3-4 more wins alone. You probably didn't notice all the boneheaded & predictable calls that Campo made almost every game. The players may have liked Campo, but its doubtful they respected him as a coach. There were some talented players there that simply were lost on a guy like Campo. BP was a good coach, but Campo was so bad that even with great talent he wouldn't have succeeded. For as good as BP has been in the past, even in the first season he didn't have that strength of will that you see in the videos with the Giants and Patriots.

As far as Wade goes, he has improved the records of the teams he coached in their first year and gotten them to the playoffs 3-5 seasons. BP got Dallas within a botched hold of a win in the playoffs. Wade was within a Music City Miracle of getting a win in the playoffs. We'll see how it goes.

I think it's a little early to pass judgement on the draft isn't it? Who knew Tom Brady would be as good as he is?

As to whether the current roster can play in Wade's system or not... Put simply, the aggressive style is easier for the player to execute because they KNOW what they are going to do. Ever hear a offensive lineman talk about whether he prefers run or pass blocking? They prefer the run blocking because they are the aggressor and don't have to backup and react to what the the DL does. The same applies on the defensive side of the ball.

What are the qualities a lineman has to have for a 2-gap read/react that would be detrimental in a 1-gap attacking style? If you can think of something I'd love to hear it.

As for being successful blitzing. Playing an attacking style they will get to the QB more than they did with the read-react approach simply because they are trying to penetrate more. The question is will they get there frequently enough to force the bad plays to make it worth the risk. We'll see.

Talking about coverage, there is always a risk if the pressure doesn't get there. Even with the best secondary out there if you give a decent QB too much time you'll get burned. As far as the one-on-one coverage goes, the Cowboys secondary should be able to provide adequate coverage as long as they don't have to do it for long. Quick screens aren't usually effective when the secondary plays close to the LOS and I think that is a part of Wade's scheme.

On your comment about wear and tear... So you're saying that playing aggresively where you attack a gap and either break through or get blocked can be more wearing than staying on the blocker in front of you then engaging-holding position-breaking away on every play? Doesn't make much sense to me.

TheFan

[tr1]

1985 HC on NO Saints. Def ranked 24th in the league. 22nd in PA.

1986 DC of PHI Eagles. Def ranked 18th in the league. 12th in PA.

1987 DC of PHI Eagles. Def ranked 26th in the league. 25th in PA.

1988 DC of PHI Eagles. Def ranked 28th in the league. 14th in PA.

1989 DC of DEN Broncos. Def ranked 3rd in the league. 1st in PA.

1990 DC of DEN Broncos. Def ranked 22nd in the league. 23rd in PA.

1991 DC of DEN broncos. Def ranked 7th (Not bad) in the league. 3rd in PA.

1992 DC of DEN Broncos. Def ranked 23d in the league. 19th in PA.

1993 HC of DEN Broncos. Def ranked 22nd in the league. 10th in PA.

1994 HC of DEN Broncos. Def ranked 27th in the league. 25th in PA.

1995 DC of BUF Bills. Def ranked 17th in the league. 12th in PA.

1996 DC of BUF Bills. Def ranked 10th (Decent) in the league. 6th in PA.

1997 DC of BUF Bills. Def ranked 11th (A little slip) in the league. 23rd in PA.

1998 HC of BUF Bills. Def ranked 7th (Not bad) in the league. 15th in PA.

1999 HC of BUF Bills. Def ranked 1st (Its about damn time!) in the league. 2nd in PA (maybe someone can help me here. Who was Buffalos DC during 1999 and 2000 seasons. I cant seem to find that out and judging by the history of Wade, I doubt he handled this himself.)

2000 HC of BUF Bills. Def ranked 3rd (Nice!) in the league. 18th in PA.

2001 No history.

2002 DC of ATL Falcons. Def ranked 23rd. 8th in PA.

2003 DC/HC of ATL Falcons. Def ranked 32nd. 30th in PA.

2004 DC of SDG Chargers. Def ranked 16th in the league. 11th in PA.

2005 DC of SDG Chargers. Def ranked 16th in the league. 13th in PA.

2006 DC of SDG Chargers. Def ranked 10th in the league. 7th in PA.

And this is the type of stuff that makes ES special....thanks Passizle.

Now, let the puke spinning begin...

[Passizle]

Nice stuff. If you still have time you should pull where his defenses ranked in terms of points allowed as well. If I'm not mistaken some of those subpar years his teams did better in points allowed.

Rather then create a new post to answer the question, I added the request to the prior post. Please review there.

Kind of all over the place IMO. Not a really telling number of his defenses

[Passizle]

And this is the type of stuff that makes ES special....thanks Passizle.

Now, let the puke spinning begin...

No problem. I live for this stuff. I try to be unbiased, but some Dallas fans really razz me.

[TheFan]

Hello all,

I just thought I would post my two cents here to try and understand the same thing the OP had stated. (Why do most Cowboy fans think Wade will be a great addition?"

Well... having nothing better to do at work today I decided to do a little digging and get some dirt on Mr. Phillips. What I found was pretty eye opening to day the least.

At first glance, Wade look like a down right decent coach who can get the job done. Plus he fits right in with Dallas' scheme of losing in the playoffs. Wade is 0-3 in that dpartment. But I digress.

If you take a look a Wades coaching career, I am pretty surprise Jerrah gave him the job. Here are some quick notes from Wades career.

1985 HC on NO Saints. Def ranked 24th in the league. 22nd in PA.

1986 DC of PHI Eagles. Def ranked 18th in the league. 12th in PA.

1987 DC of PHI Eagles. Def ranked 26th in the league. 25th in PA.

1988 DC of PHI Eagles. Def ranked 28th in the league. 14th in PA.

1989 DC of DEN Broncos. Def ranked 3rd in the league. 1st in PA.

1990 DC of DEN Broncos. Def ranked 22nd in the league. 23rd in PA.

1991 DC of DEN broncos. Def ranked 7th (Not bad) in the league. 3rd in PA.

1992 DC of DEN Broncos. Def ranked 23d in the league. 19th in PA.

1993 HC of DEN Broncos. Def ranked 22nd in the league. 10th in PA.

1994 HC of DEN Broncos. Def ranked 27th in the league. 25th in PA.

1995 DC of BUF Bills. Def ranked 17th in the league. 12th in PA.

1996 DC of BUF Bills. Def ranked 10th (Decent) in the league. 6th in PA.

1997 DC of BUF Bills. Def ranked 11th (A little slip) in the league. 23rd in PA.

1998 HC of BUF Bills. Def ranked 7th (Not bad) in the league. 15th in PA.

1999 HC of BUF Bills. Def ranked 1st (Its about damn time!) in the league. 2nd in PA (maybe someone can help me here. Who was Buffalos DC during 1999 and 2000 seasons. I cant seem to find that out and judging by the history of Wade, I doubt he handled this himself.)

2000 HC of BUF Bills. Def ranked 3rd (Nice!) in the league. 18th in PA.

2001 No history.

2002 DC of ATL Falcons. Def ranked 23rd. 8th in PA.

2003 DC/HC of ATL Falcons. Def ranked 32nd. 30th in PA.

2004 DC of SDG Chargers. Def ranked 16th in the league. 11th in PA.

2005 DC of SDG Chargers. Def ranked 16th in the league. 13th in PA.

2006 DC of SDG Chargers. Def ranked 10th in the league. 7th in PA.

So why is this guy so highly touted again? I think his good years were more about the talent he had then the scheme he employed.

So... judging by all that information, how do you think this man is going to make the 13th overall defensive ranked Cowboys any better than they already were? History shows, he usually makes teams worse.

Interesting stats but I don't see where he made Buffalo or the Chargers worse.

TheFan

[SonnyJ]

What are the qualities a lineman has to have for a 2-gap read/react that would be detrimental in a 1-gap attacking style? If you can think of something I'd love to hear it.

Again, if 1-gap is so decisively a superior technique, and anyone who can do 2-gap can do 1-gap as well or better, why would any team employ 2-gap?

[TheFan]

Again, if 1-gap is so decisively a superior technique, and anyone who can do 2-gap can do 1-gap as well or better, why would any team employ 2-gap?

Playing the 2-gap is less risky. There you are trying to keep everything in front of you to avoid giving up the big play. Parcells likes to play the odds, better to sit back and react than to attack and leave yourself open to giving up a big play.

He actually said something along those lines once when talking about QB play. I'm paraphrasing but the more risk you take trying to make a play the more likely that something negative is going to happen.

TheFan

[ABQCOWBOY]

It's difficult to compare players that play in different systems but the Cowboys were decent against the run last year, 10th I believe. In any case, isn't it usually the LB's that are key in 3-4 to stopping the run?

Like I said, we'll see how it works out.

TheFan

In most 34s, it's the NT that is critical to stopping the run. Normally, a NT in a 34 has the responsability of a short area 2Gap technique. The one thing a NT can not do, in an traditional 34 is be defeated or get pushed off the ball. 34 is about angles. The DEs basically play like 2 Technique DTs in a 34 and the LBs run to the ball. It prevents offenses from using angle schemes and double teams to isolate areas along the LOS. In Phillips 34, the NT and the DEs don't play a 2Gap technique. Typically, they play Single Gap responsability and force the ball to an area of the field, so to speak. They do this with penatration in the run game. They also bring blitz from many different areas of the field. This is atypical of Parcells version of the 34. His system is predicated on disciplined lanes and areas of responsability. His style forces the man across from you to physically whip the player he's blocking. In Phillips scheme, he does it with quickness and agility. He's going to overload an area of the field and rely on speed an quickness to beat the man in front of him. He's going to create confusion in the blocking scheme by sending blitz from anywhere on the field. The draw back to that, of course, is that your are more suseptible to counters, draws and mis direction. Delays are also effective. The right play call will go for six against this defense. If you blitz or over pursue, your giving something up. The question then becomes, can you get to the ball before the defense is exposed? This is how Phillips 34 works. It's very different from Parcells version. LBs are typically smaller, especially ILBs, NT and DEs are smaller, quicker and more mobile.

Probably telling you what you already know. Foregive me if that is the case. Just a rough outline of the differences for everybody.

[Birdlives]

You give BP props for taking a team, pretty much as is, and turning them from a 5-11 team to 10-6. My take is that the difference between Dave Campo and any competent coach was worth 3-4 more wins alone. You probably didn't notice all the boneheaded & predictable calls that Campo made almost every game. The players may have liked Campo, but its doubtful they respected him as a coach. There were some talented players there that simply were lost on a guy like Campo. BP was a good coach, but Campo was so bad that even with great talent he wouldn't have succeeded. For as good as BP has been in the past, even in the first season he didn't have that strength of will that you see in the videos with the Giants and Patriots.

Take it however you want, I dont see it that way. And even by your own words, he may have been worth 3-4 more wins, but 10-6 from 5-11 with Quincy Carter as QB is pretty significant. It is conceivable then that the cowboys even with a good coach in Parcells is simply a 9-7 team, no?

As far as Wade goes, he has improved the records of the teams he coached in their first year and gotten them to the playoffs 3-5 seasons. BP got Dallas within a botched hold of a win in the playoffs. Wade was within a Music City Miracle of getting a win in the playoffs. We'll see how it goes.

Really Wade's defenses have not always improved. Some of them have been downright horrible. Also, and I 've said it before, it's one thing to take a defense from 20th to 12th, an entirely more difficult task to go from 13th to 5th. I would think Wade has done his job if the cowboys even stay put in terms of the rankings.

I think it's a little early to pass judgement on the draft isn't it? Who knew Tom Brady would be as good as he is?

Like I emphasized, it's only my opinion, not a stated fact. It just didn't impress me very much and I felt like Jerry getting the trade from Cleveland was more Cleveland losing than Jerry winning. Spencer was a nice pick up, I've said it all along.

As to whether the current roster can play in Wade's system or not... Put simply, the aggressive style is easier for the player to execute because they KNOW what they are going to do. Ever hear a offensive lineman talk about whether he prefers run or pass blocking? They prefer the run blocking because they are the aggressor and don't have to backup and react to what the the DL does. The same applies on the defensive side of the ball.

Knowing and doing are two different things and these guys were picked by Parcells for Parcells, not by or for Wade. If I'm not mistaken it's already been mentioned that Ferguson is more immobile than Wade would like his NT to be. It has to make you wonder if these guys can be successful getting through lines.

What are the qualities a lineman has to have for a 2-gap read/react that would be detrimental in a 1-gap attacking style? If you can think of something I'd love to hear it.

Speed on the ends. Great and quick feet. Good push is important in the middle. I think you underestimate the diffculty in moving O-Linemen around rather than standing them up.

As for being successful blitzing. Playing an attacking style they will get to the QB more than they did with the read-react approach simply because they are trying to penetrate more. The question is will they get there frequently enough to force the bad plays to make it worth the risk. We'll see.

Agreed.

Talking about coverage, there is always a risk if the pressure doesn't get there. Even with the best secondary out there if you give a decent QB too much time you'll get burned. As far as the one-on-one coverage goes, the Cowboys secondary should be able to provide adequate coverage as long as they don't have to do it for long. Quick screens aren't usually effective when the secondary plays close to the LOS and I think that is a part of Wade's scheme.

I'm not as sold on it as you. I think Wade's defense is a high risk, high reward kind of thing and as the season goes along we could see teams learning to exploit such a scheme. The cowboys are playing some teams with good up front line play this year. Not getting to the QB could cost them a lot. Again though, only time will tell.

On your comment about wear and tear... So you're saying that playing aggresively where you attack a gap and either break through or get blocked can be more wearing than staying on the blocker in front of you then engaging-holding position-breaking away on every play? Doesn't make much sense to me.

TheFan

Not exactly, however if things breakdown and the front is forced to pursue more they can get worn down. Also they are no longer being asked to stand guys up but to actually move people.

Quick hit plays and quick outs as well as screens that take advantage of agressive play can wear a frontline down, especially when you only have 3 D-Linemen. Man coverage can also wear a team out faster than zone play. Again though it's really a wait and see kind of thing.

[SonnyJ]

Playing the 2-gap is less risky. There you are trying to keep everything in front of you to avoid giving up the big play. Parcells likes to play the odds, better to sit back and react than to attack and leave yourself open to giving up a big play.

He actually said something along those lines once when talking about QB play. I'm paraphrasing but the more risk you take trying to make a play the more likely that something negative is going to happen.

TheFan

Exactly.

Which is why this approach could just as easily blow up in their faces. I prefer to see my defense attacking the other team myself, but it's a good way to get burned, too. If you're getting blocked, yards and points are going to be piled up quickly against you. That balls-to-the-wall approach is fun to watch when it's working, but when it goes south, it ain't pretty. See Redskins D 2004-2005 vs. 2006.

I suspect the Cowboys will enjoy some initial success w/the approach, as other teams are unfamiliar w/what they are doing. Once film starts going around, though, I think the tables will turn.