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Cowboys' scouting report: Abram Elam
August, 4, 2011 1:16 PM CT
By Calvin Watkins
SAN ANTONIO --The Cowboys newly acquired free safety, Abram Elam, is coming off a season where he had 79 tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles and two interceptions for the Cleveland Browns last season.
Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan wants Elam to control the secondary, since he has a good understanding of the 3-4 defensive scheme.
"He's smart, he’s consistent, [and] he’s conservative in his play style," Ryan said after Thursday's walkthrough. "We don’t like to give up the big home runs. He's that safety blanket back there [and] he understands what we’re looking for and he understands why we call things and when we call them. A great person and a helluva of a football player."
According to StatsPass, Elam was targeted 41 times by opposing quarterbacks and was only beaten 20 times for 309 yards. He allowed three touchdowns, the same as cornerback Terence Newman, and had 10 pass breakups.
The Cowboys' starting free safety last season was Alan Ball, who is moving back to corner. Ball was targeted 36 times last year and was beaten 23 times for 376 yards, while giving up seven touchdowns. Ball had four pass breakups.
It's easy to assume the Cowboys upgraded at the free safety spot with a player who will react to the ball and make solid tackles.
"He's very comfortable with this scheme," Jason Garrett said of Elam, who's expected to arrive here today. "He's a veteran safety and he's played in this scheme and played in this league, a lot of starts and a lot of snaps and he's a good football player. He's not one of those guys who wows you necessarily but he's the kind of guy you want playing safety for you. A great communicator and he understands what we want to do on the defensive side of the ball."
August, 4, 2011 1:16 PM CT
By Calvin Watkins
SAN ANTONIO --The Cowboys newly acquired free safety, Abram Elam, is coming off a season where he had 79 tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles and two interceptions for the Cleveland Browns last season.
Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan wants Elam to control the secondary, since he has a good understanding of the 3-4 defensive scheme.
"He's smart, he’s consistent, [and] he’s conservative in his play style," Ryan said after Thursday's walkthrough. "We don’t like to give up the big home runs. He's that safety blanket back there [and] he understands what we’re looking for and he understands why we call things and when we call them. A great person and a helluva of a football player."
According to StatsPass, Elam was targeted 41 times by opposing quarterbacks and was only beaten 20 times for 309 yards. He allowed three touchdowns, the same as cornerback Terence Newman, and had 10 pass breakups.
The Cowboys' starting free safety last season was Alan Ball, who is moving back to corner. Ball was targeted 36 times last year and was beaten 23 times for 376 yards, while giving up seven touchdowns. Ball had four pass breakups.
It's easy to assume the Cowboys upgraded at the free safety spot with a player who will react to the ball and make solid tackles.
"He's very comfortable with this scheme," Jason Garrett said of Elam, who's expected to arrive here today. "He's a veteran safety and he's played in this scheme and played in this league, a lot of starts and a lot of snaps and he's a good football player. He's not one of those guys who wows you necessarily but he's the kind of guy you want playing safety for you. A great communicator and he understands what we want to do on the defensive side of the ball."