Greg Cosell’s Look Ahead: Cowboys’ ‘D’ playing fast and looking good
Last Sunday night’s game was surprising on both sides of the ball. We’re not used to seeing the New Orleans Saints’ offense struggle. And the Dallas Cowboys’ defense is exceeding expectations.
What happened? Let’s first look at the Saints, and quarterback Drew Brees.
I just didn’t think Brees looked comfortable at Dallas. He was a little hurried at times. He was a little tentative at times. The Cowboys did a good job rushing Brees up the middle.
Brees will be an interesting guy to watch as the season progresses. I thought at the end of last year he wasn’t throwing the ball as well as he had previously. His explosive lower body movement defined what he did, although that’s not what you think of when you think of Brees. I know he works hard, but sometimes you get a little older and the results aren’t the same.
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Also, the Saints’ defense hasn’t been very good and that has affected the offense. Against Dallas they got down big, and very quickly. As great as Brees is, I don’t view him as a quarterback who is at his best just dropping back and throwing it all over the yard. He’s the type of quarterback who has a precise control of the game, wins at the line of scrimmage and breaks down defenses in a subtle way. To use the cliché – I don’t view Brees as a gunslinger. But he has to play that way if the defense is bad. And the dynamic the offense changes. They have great route concepts, but those don’t work if you have to drop back every time.
But the bigger story from the game is the Cowboys’ defense. And the secret to why that unit has been better than expected this season is simple.
Dallas defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli’s defenses are not complex. You play a ton of zone, mostly “Cover 2” with some “Cover 3” and mix in a little big of man. You’re not a high-percentage blitz team, and almost all come out of the nickel and involve the slot cornerback. And because the defense is not complex, you can play fast. The Cowboys are all about rallying to the ball. Because the concepts are limited, everyone understands them and there’s no confusion. They don’t have to think it through, like other defensive concepts. They can just get to the ball. That’s the same defense Tony Dungy used in Tampa Bay and then Indianapolis. It isn’t complex, but it’s fast.
The way coaches normally think about “Cover 2” is that the coverage takes care of the three-step and five-step timing from quarterbacks. Anything beyond that, the pass rush has to take care of. If you get to seven-step drop against “Cover 2,” you’re getting a completion because the zone can’t hold up that long. The Cowboys have played with great discipline in their zones, and have gotten a pass rush through defensive line movement, like many stunts that worked against the Saints.
They don’t have a true one-on-one pass rusher, which this defense would like to have because it relies on four-man pressure. They don’t have a Simeon Rice or Dwight Freeney. There’s no pure three-technique tackle like Warren Sapp. They don’t have those type of guys. But the thing you notice – and it’s harder to see watching on TV, but you see it right away on coaches film – is how fast they are playing.
If the pass rush disappears opponents will be able to move the ball as the season goes on. Already this season, Rams quarterback Austin Davis threw for 327 yards. This is not a shutdown defense. It’s just a defense that is playing really well given its talent level.
Kuechly not the Panthers’ problem
I was on Charlotte radio this week and heard that some there believe Carolina Panthers linebacker and reigning NFL defensive player of the year Luke Kuechly is struggling over the team’s two-game losing streak. I’ll show you why Kuechly isn’t the problem with their defense.
All the pieces of a defense work together, and the Panthers’ defensive tackles have really struggled the last two weeks. Kuechly was blocked by guards many times in the loss to the Ravens because the defensive tackles couldn’t control a double team.
A good example came on Justin Forsett’s 11-yard touchdown run. Panthers tackle Colin Cole couldn’t control the double team, so the guard came off immediately and blocked Kuechly (No. 59 below), allowing Forsett to get past him.
Kuechly seemed a little slower reacting in this game than usual, but he’s not the reason for the defensive issues.
Teddy Bridgewater report
Bridgewater, the Minnesota Vikings’ first-round pick, didn’t play on Thursday because of an ankle injury. But he should be back next week, and it’s worth examining his first career start last week vs. Atlanta to see what the Vikings will do with him going forward.
Bridgewater does some things well, some things not so well, and Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner did a good job featuring his strengths against Atlanta. Bridgewater is a naturally accurate passer. He has quick, light feet with the ability to get outside the pocket and make plays with his legs. He understands where to go with the football with a refined sense of timing. He was decisive against Atlanta.
There are some limitations, too. He is more of a finesse thrower than a power thrower. He has just slightly above-average arm strength by NFL standards. Turner played to the strengths and minimized his limitations. There were many shotgun snaps with read option mesh concepts, which help easily define quick reads for Bridgewater. In many ways, Turner is utilizing Bridgewater in many of the same ways Seattle utilized Russell Wilson his first two seasons.
Bridgewater will need to be controlled and manipulated by the offensive approach, because he’s a timing, rhythm player with a low delivery who needs space in the pocket. The Vikings look like they have a plan to accentuate what Bridgewater does well, and that’s exactly what coaching is.
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NFL analyst and NFL Films senior producer Greg Cosell watches as much NFL game film as anyone. Throughout the season, Cosell will join Shutdown Corner to share his observations on the teams, schemes and personnel from around the league.
