Rob Ryan Not to Blame for Dallas Cowboys’ Defensive Woes

Published: 4th Jan 12 4:35 pm
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by Jeric Griffin
NFL Network Manager
Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

The Dallas Cowboys had some serious pass coverage problems in 2011. Now that the painful season is over, many are pointing at Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan as the cause for the team’s poor play on the defensive side of the ball, particularly in pass coverage.

The Cowboys’ pass defense finished 23rd in the NFL this season. That number is deceiving because Dallas finished 26th last season, suggesting Ryan made the secondary a little better. That’s not the case as the Cowboys gave up 243 passing yards per game in 2010 and 244 in 2011. That’s not a huge difference, but the Cowboys’ secondary needs work, not its coach.

Ryan’s defense is an amazing 3-4 scheme that utilizes the Cowboys’ talent at outside linebacker while trying to hide the team’s lack of talent at defensive end. That worked pretty well in 2011, but Dallas’ defensive ends couldn’t pressure a high school quarterback. That led to double teams on Cowboys outside linebackers DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer and more time for opposing quarterbacks to pick apart the Cowboys’ secondary.

That’s where the real problem lies; three of the Cowboys’ five cornerbacks are completely worthless and one other wasn’t used enough to evaluate. Terence Newman, Orlando Scandrick should both be cut or traded this offseason while free agent Alan Ball should NOT be re-signed.

No defensive coordinator could squeeze production out of those guys, not even a skilled one like Ryan. With the right personnel, Ryan’s unit could be one of the NFL’s best. Heck, the Cowboys’ run defense was a top 10 unit this season even with subpar defensive ends and no help from the secondary.

Cowboys cornerback Mike Jenkins is the team’s only solid option at cornerback. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones desperately needs to bring in help for Jenkins in 2012 and re-sign safety Abram Elam. The former Brown played for Ryan in Cleveland and knows his defense well. Elam helped the Cowboys’ secondary tremendously in 2011; trust me, it could have been a lot worse without him.

Newman, Scandrick and Ball let more receivers go by them in both zone and man coverage than any other trio in the league. The curious part is this bunch tended to get even worse in the fourth quarter; the Cowboys gave up almost twice as many passing yards in the second half of games than the first.

That points to the lack of mental toughness Emmitt Smith talked about before the Cowboys’ loss to the New York Giants on Sunday night. It takes intelligent, mentally tough players to execute Ryan’s complex 3-4 scheme, which constantly calls for its players to line up differently and blitz from odd angles and at unique times.

This is just the beginning; Ryan’s defense also calls for several different kinds of hybrid coverages that should confuse even the best NFL quarterbacks. On most big plays this season, the Cowboys’ pass rush got to opposing quarterbacks, but they just launched the ball downfield to a wide open receiver because Ball, Newman or Scandrick were running around like chickens with their heads cut off 30 yards away. Nobody can win with guys like that.

Ideally, Cowboys’ pass rushers would get to opposing quarterbacks using those unique blitzes and all receivers downfield would be covered well enough that the passer would have to eat the ball or blindly throw it into double or even triple coverage. That’s how Ryan’s defense is supposed to work, but it constantly got foiled because of absolutely pitiful pass coverage specifically by those three cornerbacks.

If Ryan is given some halfway decent corners and defensive ends to work with, the Cowboys’ defense will be scary good in 2012. That’s a big “if” that depends solely on Jerry Jones’ willingness and ability to bring in smarter and more talented players. Ryan is the key to defensive success for Dallas, not the culprit.

Follow Jeric Griffin on Twitter @JericGriffin

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5 Rants to “Rob Ryan Not to Blame for Dallas Cowboys’ De...”

  1. Harold says:

    I disagree. why in the world would you keep blitzing when you know your corners are bad. They can not cover man so lets keep sending people and keep covering man. The reason is because Rob Ryan is all about these exotic blitzes instead of adjusting to the personal. I good D-Cord. would adjust. Isnt that what the NFL is all about adjustments. Not with Ryan its all about him. RYAN NEEDS TO GO BYE BYE

  2. Paladin says:

    So you’re saying the trio you mentioned is not coachable? I agree that trio couldn’t defend against a good high school team, but I think it’s Rob Ryan’s fault for not teaching them how to defend, how to tackle and to understand the defensive plays. Isn’t Ryan’s defense the same a Wade Phillips’ was? So it isn’t new and Wade has done a fantastic job as DC at Houston. So, my thought is that Wade should not have been fired but demoted to DC. Perhaps Dallas could have won a game or 2 more and would have made the playoffs. Still, the problem exists that Jerry Jones is responsible for recruiting the best players and coaches and he has failed miserably. If Idiot Jones had any smarts, he’d fire the GM! Today!

  3. John Carpenter says:

    You’ve completely missed the point.

    Ryan’sproblem is not his scheme–he didn’t have a full offseason to implement it: it’s his compulsive need to shoot off his mouth.

    He is on record as suggesting 1) He’s the brightest defensive mind in the NFL, and 2)he has the best players.

    He’s also affirmed with utter conviction that after seeing his unit pistol-whipped the first time around, he’s fixed the problems and had a “great game plan” only to see his team bullied the second time around.

    Let’s look at the possibilities: 1) He’s wrong about being the brightest defensive mind on the planet; 2) He’s right about that but wrong about having the best players; and/or 3) He either sees things on tape that aren’t there or misses seeing things that are there which result in the humiliations twice at the hands of the Giants and Eagles.

    I’m open to any plausible explanation why a self-professed defensive mastermind can go into New York, claim he has a great game plan, virtually guarantees a win and watches his team give up 200+ yards in the first half.

    Yeah, yeah, yeah. It’s all about execution. The players are garbage. Just maybe the coaches have a hand in the beatdowns.

  4. robbo24 says:

    I agree it’s not Rob Ryan’s fault. This is the player Wade and Bill brought in for the most part. We’ll see how they play when Rob get’s his guys.

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