Post by ccboy on Feb 25, 2010 21:31:07 GMT -7
Cowboys' roster analysis: The defensive ends
08:59 AM CST on Thursday, February 25, 2010
By DAVID MOORE / The Dallas Morning News
dmoore@dallasnews.com
On the roster
Marcus Spears, Igor Olshansky, Stephen Bowen, Jason Hatcher and Marcus Dixon.
There is no Pro Bowl talent here, but there are strong, steady players willing to do the dirty work in the 3-4.
Spears changed his diet, lost some weight and used that additional quickness to his advantage in 2009. His 2.5 sacks were a career high. Running into Olshansky is like running into a tree trunk. He is a handful for offensive linemen and, along with Spears, helped anchor a line that ranked fourth in the NFL in run defense.
If you're looking for production in a limited number of snaps, Bowen may rank as high as anyone on the team. Used on passing downs, Bowen had 32 tackles, three sacks and forced a fumble. His 33 quarterback pressures ranked third on the team, behind only DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer.
Hatcher wasn't at his best after off-season knee surgery but was OK. Dixon spent the season on the practice squad and needs to make a push.
Who's available
• Julius Peppers, Carolina: Too rich for the Cowboys' blood given who they have in place on defense.
• Aaron Kampman, Green Bay: Struggled when moved to outside linebacker in the 3-4 and is coming off a torn ACL.
• Richard Seymour, Oakland: Raiders slapped franchise tag on him Wednesday.
• Kyle Vanden Bosch, Tennessee: His numbers have gone down the past two years, but he's still one of the best.
• * Ray Edwards, Minnesota: Maybe you remember him? Edwards sacked Tony Romo three times in playoff game.
* Restricted free agent
What Cowboys should do
The first thing is to re-sign their own. Spears, Bowen and Hatcher all are restricted free agents. These three, along with Olshansky, form a solid four-man rotation.
Still, a team can't have enough big bodies up front. The Cowboys could choose to add some veteran depth by pursuing a relatively inexpensive free agent, like Baltimore's Dwan Edwards, or draft another defensive end in a later round to develop.
But if the club chooses to do nothing here other than keep this group intact, it's not a bad choice.
Interesting fact
The Cowboys signed Olshansky as a free agent last season. Can you name the last defensive end the club signed in free agency? You can't, because Olshansky was the first, dating to 1989 when Plan B free agency came into being.
Defensive ends are much more likely to leave in free agency. The six who have left the Cowboys since '89 are Chris Canty, Kenyon Coleman, Ebenezer Ekuban, Peppi Zellner, Kavika Pittman and Jim Jeffcoat.
08:59 AM CST on Thursday, February 25, 2010
By DAVID MOORE / The Dallas Morning News
dmoore@dallasnews.com
On the roster
Marcus Spears, Igor Olshansky, Stephen Bowen, Jason Hatcher and Marcus Dixon.
There is no Pro Bowl talent here, but there are strong, steady players willing to do the dirty work in the 3-4.
Spears changed his diet, lost some weight and used that additional quickness to his advantage in 2009. His 2.5 sacks were a career high. Running into Olshansky is like running into a tree trunk. He is a handful for offensive linemen and, along with Spears, helped anchor a line that ranked fourth in the NFL in run defense.
If you're looking for production in a limited number of snaps, Bowen may rank as high as anyone on the team. Used on passing downs, Bowen had 32 tackles, three sacks and forced a fumble. His 33 quarterback pressures ranked third on the team, behind only DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer.
Hatcher wasn't at his best after off-season knee surgery but was OK. Dixon spent the season on the practice squad and needs to make a push.
Who's available
• Julius Peppers, Carolina: Too rich for the Cowboys' blood given who they have in place on defense.
• Aaron Kampman, Green Bay: Struggled when moved to outside linebacker in the 3-4 and is coming off a torn ACL.
• Richard Seymour, Oakland: Raiders slapped franchise tag on him Wednesday.
• Kyle Vanden Bosch, Tennessee: His numbers have gone down the past two years, but he's still one of the best.
• * Ray Edwards, Minnesota: Maybe you remember him? Edwards sacked Tony Romo three times in playoff game.
* Restricted free agent
What Cowboys should do
The first thing is to re-sign their own. Spears, Bowen and Hatcher all are restricted free agents. These three, along with Olshansky, form a solid four-man rotation.
Still, a team can't have enough big bodies up front. The Cowboys could choose to add some veteran depth by pursuing a relatively inexpensive free agent, like Baltimore's Dwan Edwards, or draft another defensive end in a later round to develop.
But if the club chooses to do nothing here other than keep this group intact, it's not a bad choice.
Interesting fact
The Cowboys signed Olshansky as a free agent last season. Can you name the last defensive end the club signed in free agency? You can't, because Olshansky was the first, dating to 1989 when Plan B free agency came into being.
Defensive ends are much more likely to leave in free agency. The six who have left the Cowboys since '89 are Chris Canty, Kenyon Coleman, Ebenezer Ekuban, Peppi Zellner, Kavika Pittman and Jim Jeffcoat.