Post by prossman on Sept 24, 2016 7:00:10 GMT -7
Position switch may be a blessing for Irving and Cowboys defense
Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire
John Owning
By John Owning
Posted on September 23, 2016
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David Irving is the most underutilized player on the Dallas Cowboys defensive line. Period.
The gangly 6-foot-7 defensive lineman has consistently flashed since the Cowboys signed him off the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad last year where he split his time between defensive end and under tackle in an attempt to maximize playing time for the former Iowa State star.
However, this year, the Cowboys coaching staff decided to move Irving to left defensive end permanently, despite the fact that most of his splash plays came from the under tackle position.
While that may be confusing to some, it is easy to understand why the Cowboys made the switch. Irving’s length and superior athleticism should allow him to thrive on the edge. Furthermore, his strength, which is an underrated skill of his, would allow him to set the edge and be a force in the running game.
Midway through training camp, everything looked to be going smoothly for the now left defensive end. He was running with the starters, and he was performing well in practice and during the preseason until he injured his groin in practice, which led to him missing a bit of time.
While he was injured, the Cowboys placed Jack Crawford in his spot. When Irving returned, he never regained his starting job even though that confounded many who follow the Cowboys:
Through the first two games of the regular season, where Irving severely outplayed Crawford, defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli opted to go with the former Nittany Lion.
This is illustrated by the fact that Irving received a grade of 72.4 (39th among edge defenders) from Pro Football Focus, while Crawford came in at an abysmal 43.3 (82nd among edge defenders). If that isn’t enough, The Dallas Morning News’ Bob Sturm, who tracks all the splash plays made by the defense, stated that Irving is second on the team with 3, while Crawford has just 1.5. Any way you slice it, Crawford was not playing better than Irving.
Luckily for all those involved, this frustrating conundrum won’t last another week, as the Cowboys have reportedly had Tyrone Crawford, who has been abysmal himself at under tackle through the first two weeks, and Irving switch positions, which means Tyrone will move to left defensive end while Irving reduces down to the under tackle spot.
While it wouldn’t seem to make much sense to move the more productive player down inside, this will actually be a very beneficial move for Dallas.
The first reason why Irving can thrive inside has to do with his incredible combination of length and athleticism (definitions for tFREAK, SPARQ and SLA can be found here):
No matter which way you slice, Irving is special in terms of size and athleticism.
While it is great for a player to have that type of freakish size and athleticism, it means nothing if they cannot integrate their technique to exacerbate their gifts. Luckily for the Dallas fateful, Irving has done just that.
When he is lined up at under tackle, which typically has him shaded to the outside eye of the offensive guard, his lateral quickness gives him a huge advantage over slow-footed offensive linemen, especially on zone runs:
This play is a great example of how Irving’s lateral quickness is a big advantage on the inside. On this play, the New Orleans Saints’ left tackle, Terron Armstead, is tasked with reaching Irving. Armstead is one of the most athletic offensive tackles in the league, and he can usually reach a 3-technique with no problem, which is why the right guard doesn’t even worry about getting a hand on the Cowboys’ under tackle.
They failed to realize that Irving isn’t your typical 3-technique defensive tackle, as he easily beats Armstead’s reach block and makes the tackle down the line of scrimmage.
Even if the offensive guard and tackle do a commendable job on their combination block, it still doesn’t mean they will stop the former Cyclone:
This time, the offensive tackle (No. 67) does get his hands on Irving, and he is in a good position to execute the reach block. The right tackle tries to ride Irving out of the play; however, Irving does a great job of engaging the tackle with both hands to fight the pressure then ripping his left arm through the tackle to keep his right arm free. In conjunction with his upper body work, Irving drops his hips to anchor against the block, which allows him to stay in balance, find the ball carrier and make the tackle.
Irving’s athleticism, when coupled with integrated hand technique, can be a deadly combination as a pass-rusher as well:
Irving is shaded over the right guard on this play, After a quick jab step with his left foot, he darts inside and clubs the inside shoulder of the right guard, which gets the guard out of position. His athleticism takes over as he closes and gets a hit on the quarterback as he is throwing.
While he may not start there, there is no reason to believe that Irving won’t get a ton of playing time at the under tackle, as the only other Cowboy who plays there regularly is rookie Maliek Collins, and more Irving is definitely a good thing for the Cowboys. Is he going to be a double-digit sack guy on the inside like Aaron Donald? No, but he can be a consistent playmaker on a defensive line that desperately needs plays to be made.
On its face, a team opting to move a backup defensive end to defensive tackle isn’t newsworthy at all. However, when that player is Irving, and that team is the Cowboys, who are in desperate need of some pass rush from anywhere, then it deserves to be talked about.
The Cowboys defensive line has been stuck in the mud through the first two games, and this move could be the catalyst to more pass rush success in Dallas