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Rainer Sabin / Reporter
Victor Butler is a talkative type. But he was particularly effusive Tuesday when discussing the system that the Cowboys' new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan plans to install.
"It's crazy," Butler, a reserve outside linebacker, said gleefully after speaking to a group of kids attending the Premier Football camp at John Paul II High School in Plano. "You've got d-linemen lining up at the free safety spot. I'd love to see Jay Ratliff line up where Alan Ball is. It sounds crazy but when you get out there and run it it makes a lot of sense. I am super excited. I was hoping for [organized team activities]. That's how excited I was. Nobody hopes for OTAs. But I was hoping for OTAs so we can get in this defense and run this defense."
Butler's enthusiasm, in part, is derived from curiosity. Ryan's scheme, after all, features a variety of exotic alignments and unconventional blitz packages. From down to down, even the positioning of players can change.
"His defense creates a lot of stress," quarterback Stephen McGee. "He knows how to attack formations. They know where certain formations are vulnerable and how they can overload coverages to where guys want to throw the ball. They know weaknesses by formation for most teams. That's why he is so good."
McGee said in Ryan's system a player can move one foot and the entire defense can transform, forcing a quarterback to "change a lot of calls up front."
"It just makes offenses have to communicate more," McGee added.
McGee, a football junkie, came away impressed with Ryan when the defensive coordinator was tutoring the team's veterans before the lockout. While sitting in on a few classroom sessions, McGee watched Ryan conduct his orientation. Among the enthusiastic pupils at Valley Ranch was Butler, who called Ryan "a good teacher." Ryan's instruction, in fact, was so well-received that that team was immediately sold on his master plan.
"Crazy guy, great guy, a players' coach," Butler said of Ryan. "He knows his stuff. He knows the game of football."
Before the work stoppage began, Ryan taught Butler and his teammates the fundamentals. But the Cowboys have yet to learn the nuances of a complex defense.
"We don't have all the tricks and all the gadgets we would normally have if we had the OTAs," said Butler, a third-year veteran who collected two sacks and 24 tackles last year. "But on the basic level, we know what we need to know."
And after taking an introductory course on Ryan's new defense, the Cowboys seem eager to learn more.
Victor Butler is a talkative type. But he was particularly effusive Tuesday when discussing the system that the Cowboys' new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan plans to install.
"It's crazy," Butler, a reserve outside linebacker, said gleefully after speaking to a group of kids attending the Premier Football camp at John Paul II High School in Plano. "You've got d-linemen lining up at the free safety spot. I'd love to see Jay Ratliff line up where Alan Ball is. It sounds crazy but when you get out there and run it it makes a lot of sense. I am super excited. I was hoping for [organized team activities]. That's how excited I was. Nobody hopes for OTAs. But I was hoping for OTAs so we can get in this defense and run this defense."
Butler's enthusiasm, in part, is derived from curiosity. Ryan's scheme, after all, features a variety of exotic alignments and unconventional blitz packages. From down to down, even the positioning of players can change.
"His defense creates a lot of stress," quarterback Stephen McGee. "He knows how to attack formations. They know where certain formations are vulnerable and how they can overload coverages to where guys want to throw the ball. They know weaknesses by formation for most teams. That's why he is so good."
McGee said in Ryan's system a player can move one foot and the entire defense can transform, forcing a quarterback to "change a lot of calls up front."
"It just makes offenses have to communicate more," McGee added.
McGee, a football junkie, came away impressed with Ryan when the defensive coordinator was tutoring the team's veterans before the lockout. While sitting in on a few classroom sessions, McGee watched Ryan conduct his orientation. Among the enthusiastic pupils at Valley Ranch was Butler, who called Ryan "a good teacher." Ryan's instruction, in fact, was so well-received that that team was immediately sold on his master plan.
"Crazy guy, great guy, a players' coach," Butler said of Ryan. "He knows his stuff. He knows the game of football."
Before the work stoppage began, Ryan taught Butler and his teammates the fundamentals. But the Cowboys have yet to learn the nuances of a complex defense.
"We don't have all the tricks and all the gadgets we would normally have if we had the OTAs," said Butler, a third-year veteran who collected two sacks and 24 tackles last year. "But on the basic level, we know what we need to know."
And after taking an introductory course on Ryan's new defense, the Cowboys seem eager to learn more.
