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Versatility on Defense Will Be Key to Dallas Cowboys’ Success

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Orlando Scandrick Dallas Cowboys

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Back in 2013 when the Dallas Cowboys had statistically one of the worst defenses to ever step foot on a field in the NFL, they had a multitude of guys playing a number of different positions each week. They did this not because their guys were so versatile but because it was purely out of necessity. Their defense that year was plagued with both injuries and bad offseason pickups, so in an effort to be relatively competitive on Sundays they found themselves desperate to field a complete team each week.

Coaches would look out on the field and find themselves yelling instructions to players whose names they hadn’t even had a chance to learn yet. There were guys like Jarius Wynn and Caesar Rayford who were once castoffs from other teams but found themselves as starters who were getting significant minutes for the Cowboys. Ernie Sims, who was supposed to be a backup linebacker at best, was all of a sudden thrust into the middle linebacker spot and was forced to be the signal caller and essentially the leader of the defense that season, and as you can imagine the results were disastrous.

Well as the Cowboys enter the 2015 season, they will once again find themselves in a position where they will have a number of guys asked to play multiple positions, but this time around it will actually be to their advantage. This year because of the excellent draft they had and because of the savvy offseason moves they’ve made, they have a wealth of talent on the defensive side of the ball. Each player they have acquired has the ability to excel at different positions.

All Pro defensive end Greg Hardy made his name playing on the edge of the line but his size and speed also allows him to also be a disruptive force as a tackle if he is needed there as well. The team knows that they will get the most out of him from the end spot so they have decided to move Jeremy Mincey back to the defensive tackle position in pass rushing situations in order to get as much talent on the field as possible at any given moment. Mincey saw success playing defensive tackle during his time with the Jacksonville Jaguars and he also had six sacks playing defensive end for the Cowboys last year, so the switch is nothing new to him and he has proven that he can be productive at both spots.

The Cowboys also have second year linebacker Anthony Hitchens out of Iowa, who last year was able to play every linebacker spot on the field. That too was more out of necessity but thankfully for the Cowboys, he was able to thrive at all three positions. This is key because even though Rolando McClain and Sean Lee are both coming back healthy this year, they do have a tendency to get hurt, so the team may need to call on Hichens’ flexibility yet again. Lee will be moving from the middle linebacker spot where he has excelled in the past, back to his natural position of weak-side linebacker, a place where he will take less of a beating throughout the year and can use his speed to get to the ball carrier.

And lastly, both Orlando Scandrick and rookie Byron Jones have shown the ability to play any cornerback position that is asked of them on the field. Scandrick especially can be relied upon to cover the opposing team’s best receiver, whether he is lined up on the outside or in the slot; the fact that Jones has shown that he is comfortable playing in the slot should help minimize any drop off in talent if Scandrick is asked to move around the field.

So as you can see, what was once considered to be a glaring weakness for the team has now become its strength, and because of this you can expect great things from the Dallas Cowboys this year.

Kelly Anderson is a blogger for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @bgipp01 or add him to your network on Google.

 

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