Cowboys’ secondary looking to stop the big play

By Carlos Zepeda  |   Friday, June 15, 2007  |  Comments( 6 )

Dallas Cowboys
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Dallas ended its three-day minicamp recently, and the new defensive scheme brought over from San Diego by first-year Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips has received some rave reviews.

Team owner Jerry Jones was impressed.

"I really like the way, athletically, we're moving around," Jones said, "there's a lot of balls knocked in the air and picked off."

He wasn't the only one. Four-time Pro Bowl safety Roy Williams is really excited about his new role closer to the line of scrimmage.

Williams struggled last season in pass coverage. Two years ago he was burned twice by Redskins receiver Santana Moss in the closing moments of a game in Washington. The result was a 14-13 loss in a contest where the Cowboys dominated until the final few minutes. It showed that Williams is the weak link in the pass defense, and since then opponents have constantly targeted him on deep routes.

His poor coverage was mostly because he had to help out rookie free safety Pat Watkins, who split time with Keith Davis. Both filled in admirably, (Watkins finished with 36 tackles and three interceptions, and Davis had 26 tackles and zero picks), but neither can cover the field like new FS Ken Hamlin (96 tackles, two sacks, three INTs and one forced fumble for the Seahawks in 2006).

With Hamlin covering the pass, Williams will be free to cause havoc on a defense that will stress the big play and quarterback pressure. Williams will be more like a linebacker than a strong safety, lining up in the LB spot for some nickel and dime packages to utilize his hard-hitting style.

Hamlin's signing also cemented Anthony Henry's spot at cornerback. There were talks of moving Henry to free safety, which worried the seven-year veteran. He was relieved to stay at corner, where he will get the chance to make big plays as he did as a rookie with the Browns back in 2001, a year that saw Henry lead the AFC with 10 interceptions. Henry also had two separate games with three interceptions that season, becoming the only player in Browns history to do so.

Terence Newman will be starting at the other cornerback slot. He is coming off a season in which he tallied a personal-low one interception but a career-high 20 punt returns for 202 yards, including a 56-yard touchdown.

The low INT total could have been because opposing offenses mostly stayed away from his side of the field, but Newman did give up his share of big plays last year, possibly because of fatigue caused by returning punts.

Last year under Bill Parcells, the defense was more conservative and tried to prevent big plays with more defenders dropping into coverage, but the team still gave up 25 passing touchdowns. Under Phillips, the 'D' will try to prevent the big play by being aggressive and causing turnovers.

That philosophy will suit Henry and Williams just fine, and it could result in two Pro Bowl selections.

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CommentsComments: 6  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
a.j. futch		02:44 PM
06/15/2007
I think Dallas is in position this year to field one of their best teams in years. They are complete in every phase of the game....
No.2
Capt Z		03:44 PM
06/19/2007
Definitely Dallas needs a shutdown D to get to the Superbowl. The Doomsday Defense did it and even the defense anchored with 5...
No.3
Jesse		05:06 PM
06/19/2007
"He wasn't the only one. Four-time Pro Bowl safety Roy Williams is really excited about his new role closer to the line of...
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