For the Cowboys' defense to be successful, the offense needs to score a lot of points and force opposing offenses into predictable situations. So do you think this team's defensive philosophy needs to change? They have a hard time getting things done when they play from behind. – Kevin Titus/Billings, Montana
Nick Eatman:It looks like some changes are coming on the defensive end, especially with Dan Quinn interviewing for so many jobs. But even if he returns to the DC role, the Cowboys cleaned up their run defense first and foremost. They tried to address this problem by drafting Madge Smith, but he barely played. Jonathan Hankins helps when he's on the team, but he's not a savior either. It's the D-line, the linebackers and the whole idea that stopping the run has to be a priority. The idea of playing a smaller linebacker who is really a safety is like protecting yourself in a nickel-and-dime package to protect yourself from passes. But we've seen many times that the running offense knew it could be a mismatch and just attacked the second level. And if you can't stop that run, you'll never play a dime anyway. So for me, stopping the run first and putting big, strong players in positions to do so is a philosophy that has to change.
patrick:What's strange to me is that we've gone from a team that was explosive on offense but not good enough on defense (pre-Dan Quinn era) to a team that relies completely on defense and is trying to establish itself. , a fact that is now rocking. I'm on defense and now I'm wondering again what's going on on defense. One of the things Quinn does well is generate takeaways, something his predecessors have largely failed to do, but as an example, why does his unit move his offense? It's natural to wonder why they're having such a hard time against the competition. We would be remiss if we didn't mention the loss of Trevon Diggs and, to a lesser extent but still important, Leighton Vander Esch, who was part of the schematic struggle. But that's not enough to understand giving up nearly 50 points to their own No. 7 seed in a playoff game. So, yes, I think that should be understood right away.
