Dallas Cowboys defense better all the time
Impressive play contines, making coordinator's words seem prophetic
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – In training camp, defensive coordinator Brian Stewart said the Cowboys should be the best defense in the NFL.
Players, fans and the media questioned whether a first-year coordinator should make bold statements.
Said Wade Phillips when told about Stewart's comment: "If he did, he shouldn't have."
Well, maybe Stewart was on to something.
The Cowboys' defense, the heart and soul of this team, beat up another opponent in the New York Giants on Sunday in cold Giants Stadium.
In the first meeting, the Cowboys gave up 438 yards of total offense in a 45-35 victory.
Sunday, Dallas allowed 300 yards in offense and sacked Eli Manning a season-high five times.
There was pressure all over the place.
Outside linebacker Greg Ellis stormed through the offensive line and forced Manning to throw a high pass that was picked off by free safety Ken Hamlin in the first quarter.
Inside linebacker Bradie James finished with seven solo tackles, and outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware continued his Pro Bowl-like season with 10 total tackles, a sack, a quarterback hit and numerous pressures.
Defensive end Chris Canty had a sack, a hit on Manning and four solo tackles. Anthony Spencer, the rookie outside linebacker, also had a sack.
"You're nine games in and you're a little bit better," said defensive end Marcus Spears, who finished with two tackles. "You're kind of learning, and guys are a little more comfortable now in this defense."
After the first week of the season, the Cowboys were the 25th-best defense in the league. Going into Sunday's game, Dallas had the eighth-best defense in the league.
And the unit will improve now that nose guard Tank Johnson has arrived.
Johnson made his season debut on Sunday after serving an eight-game suspension, and had three tackles and a sack.
The Giants' offensive line made a point of taking care of Johnson with constant double teams. Normally, the nose guard is going to get double-teamed in a 3-4 scheme, but it seemed as if New York didn't want any part of Johnson.
It was a sign of respect.
"I don't know if it's all that," Johnson said with a smile. "It's the scheme. The scheme says the center and guard go that way."
If Johnson gets constant double-teams, it leaves Canty or Spears open to make more plays.
Then again, James and fellow inside linebacker Akin Ayodele can see gaps in the line to make plays against the run.
So, as the weather cools down heading into the holiday season, maybe we should listen to what Stewart has to say, especially if he thinks this can be the best defense in the league.
"We believed that," Ayodele said of Stewart's comment. "You don't want somebody to throw you out there real quick. But within the team, that's what we were thinking. That's our mentality in every game."
This article is from the dallasnews writer Calvin Wakins, and can be found on www.dallasnews.com.
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Future NFL Star:
Matt Ryan, Boston College
Matt Ryan's made steady progress this season after his performance at Georgia Tech catapulted him into the race.
Boston College is moving up the rankings because of him; I'm not sure any quarterback is playing better than he is right now. Ryan is also the beneficiary of other quarterbacks' inconsistent play or their team's losses. For example,
Brian Brohm
would probably be ahead of Ryan if Louisville was winning games. Kentucky's loss to South Carolina and
Andre Woodson's turnovers in the game opened the door for
Matt Ryan to crack the top five.
