Quote:
Originally Posted by Ninkobei
I guess my biggest worry is the defensive line. O/D line were the two must-drafts this year and they end up with just one Olineman. WR, CB and TE would have been fine this year without spending such high picks on them. In fact you could say those are the Cowboys strongest positions.
Who is on the Dline? Ware, Hatcher, Ratliff, Spencer. aka two 250 pound linebackers and two barely 300 pound nose tackles. WHERE IS THE BEEF? What can you expect with the same group of guys that ranked 22nd in the league in rush defense last year? Probably the same.
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Well, it's a totally different defense this year, and you can cross your fingers that you'll have Lee and Carter healthy. There was a huge drop-off in the D once you lost those guys. Durant should also help, because that's his specialty.
On Thursday night I was on the record as supporting taking Floyd at 18, and I wanted a DT in either the first or second round. (I also think the Cowboys would have taken Kawann Short instead of Escobar had he lasted until 47.) You hope that Crawford will develop into a good swing player between DT and DE, but yes, the same problems that plagued them in the 3-4 might do so in the 4-3, and that's the lack of a proper 1-technique. That's not Floyd and that's not Short. It's not Hatcher and it's not Ratliff. It WAS Josh Brent, unfortunately. It would have been Star Lotuleilei had he made it that far.
As for the OL, you're replacing Costa with Frederick, which BETTER be an upgrade. I think it's an assumption that there's a post-June 1 agreement in place for either Tyson Clabo or Eric Winston to come play RT, either of which would be a huge upgrade over Free. Livings is... passable, maybe, at LG. Right guard is still an issue. Hopefully Ronald Leary takes that next step and can come in and play, with Costa and Bernie backing up the guard spots.