Dallas' Dreadful Defense

     It’s December. The Dallas Cowboys are playing football. And through 17 days, they are winless. They never do fail to entertain though, losing in different fashion. First game of the annual Cowboys December swoon was against the Chicago Bears in which the defense didn’t force a single punt. The next was against the Green Bay Packers in which the offense abandoned the efficient run game and Tony Romo threw two critical interceptions in the last 5 minutes of the game. The common thread? They lost to two NFC North opponents led by their backup quarterbacks.

     Putting the blame on Romo’s shoulders is common-and in some cases like last week, deserved- but let’s take a look at this atrocious defense. This is a defense that ranks 26^th in points allowed with 27.5, 28^th in rush yards allowed with 129.9, and dead last in the NFL in pass yards allowed and total yards allowed. That’s despicable.

     Lets get the excuses out of the way. Yes, this is a unit that has been hit hard with injuries. But who hasn’t? The Cowboys have had flashy availability from Sean Lee, Morris Claiborne, Jason Hatcher and ever the always-reliable Demarcus Ware. Justin Durant, Lee’s backup, was just placed on IR. No question about it, the injuries are a factor and play a role. But this bad?? This defense is historically bad. They are setting records and trust me; it is not in a good way. A lot of teams play through injuries. Let’s take the New England Patriots as an example. We won’t even talk about their no-name offense. Defensively, they lost their top two defensive tackles in Vince Wilfork and Tommy Kelly in the 4^th week for the season. In Week 6 they lost stud MLB Jerod Mayo. Starting safety Steve Gregory missed some time with a broken thumb. Top two corners Aqib Talib and Alfonzo Dennard have been in and out of the lineup. They, like the Cowboys are near the bottom in a lot of categories but they are 11^th in arguably the most important one: Points allowed. This means, although they give up lots of yardage, they bend but don’t break. They Cowboys break. And they crumble. The personnel on defense for these two teams is not that different. The talent level is about the same. Rod Marenelli, the defensive line coach, has been able to generate some production from his unit even though he has had to use over 15 people on his defensive line. That is especially painful for a unit that was expected to be headed by Demarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer on the outside and Jay Ratliff and Jason Hatcher on the interior.

     The coaching from a scheme standpoint is a significant issue for the Cowboys. All you have to do is ask the man at the top. Jerry Jones himself after the Bears debacle said the defense had to “take more risks”. Okay, well isn’t that exactly what Rob Ryan stands for? Isn’t that what is going on in New Orleans, where he took one of the worst defenses in LEAGUE history and made them formidable, if not one of the best? Jerry took Ryan out because he needed a scapegoat last year. He then made a very typical Jerry-esque signing when he signed Monte Kiffin. A bargain that was getting a spot on the Cowboys because of his past accomplishments. Kiffin’s Tampa 2 defense can’t work because of some of the lack of talent. That kind of zone-defense will get picked apart by quarterbacks if you aren’t getting pressure on the passer. This was evident last week in Chicago and in New Orleans and many other occasions. And to make up for the lack of talent, you need a coach who can dial up some blitzes and get creative. It’s what Rob Ryan was and what Monte Kiffin isn’t.

     The Dallas Cowboys are a mess right now, losing to backups and blowing leads. They are down but not out just yet. But if they don’t get things figured out quick, things could change. Big time. They play a backup for the third straight week this week in Kirk Cousins. Cowboys nation cannot take another loss. There is plenty of blame to go around: the defense, injuries, offensive production, late game Romo, questionable play calls and more. But it all starts with one man. The General Manager of the Dallas Cowboys, Jerry Jones.