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Roster Rundown
Inexperience Apparent For Ball
Josh Ellis
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
(Editor's Note: Throughout the offseason, DallasCowboys.com staff writers will take a closer look at the roster, analyzing each player's impact last season and how he fits into the team's 2011 plans. Today's featured player is safety Alan Ball.)
Name: Alan Ball
Position: Safety
Height/Weight: 6-2, 195
Experience: Three seasons
College: Illinois
Key stat: It's flawed logic to pinpoint Ball for all the Cowboys' secondary struggles last year, but he was the only new starter defensive, so he must take some blame. The unit allowed 243.4 passing yards per game, up from 225.4 in 2009, but more damaging, opponents scored 33 touchdowns through the air, up from 19 the year before.
Contract Status: Received original draft choice (seventh-round) tender.
2010 Impact: In theory, Ball's history as a cornerback would've brought a new degree of ranginess and ball-hawking ability to the secondary, but it rarely appeared. He did display the ability to get to the sideline in help coverage from time to time, but more often than that teams found ways to exploit his inexperience at the position, throwing confusing route combinations his way to get receivers open in a vacated part of the field. His tackling wasn't as suspect as many feared it would be, though he never seemed natural at bringing guys down in the open field. Overall, he did nothing to make the Cowboys stop looking for the safety answers they've been after since Darren Woodson retired in 2004.
Where He Fits: Despite what was left to be desired in Ball's play as a safety, he can still play a valuable role for the Cowboys going forward. His experience at both safety and corner would make him a tolerable backup for both positions on the 45-man roster for game days, and more of a depth role would free him up to play on the special teams coverage units that missed his presence last year. And, if the Cowboys totally strike out in their search for a replacement this offseason, the experience of 2010 should at least have him better prepared if he again wins a starting job in camp.
Writers' Analysis:
Josh Ellis: The thing about Alan Ball is he didn't back his way into a starting job at free safety, but rather forced his way onto the field by playing pretty well on defense whenever he got the chance. Coaches thought he was just as good as Ken Hamlin in the four games he started in 2009 when Hamlin was hurt, though maybe teams just hadn't figured him out at that point. Obviously he wasn't the improvement the Cowboys thought they were getting, but he Cowboys defense was a total disaster in 2010, and it's wrong to pin it all on Ball. He's a strong competitor, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him fight back and have a prolonged career with more starts down the road.
Nick Eatman: Without sounding hypocritical, Ball is one of those players that you should probably try to replace as a starter, but want to make sure he's on the team. Guys like him have value, just maybe not as a starter. As a defensive coach, I would like to have a guy with his size able to play both corner and safety and he's done a nice job on special teams. But I think you throw him out there with the rest of the safeties in competition and see if he's improved. It was his first year to start. That being said, I don't go into the draft thinking I've got Alan Ball so I don't need help. No, help is needed. But I think Ball still has a place on this team somewhere.
Inexperience Apparent For Ball
Josh Ellis
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
(Editor's Note: Throughout the offseason, DallasCowboys.com staff writers will take a closer look at the roster, analyzing each player's impact last season and how he fits into the team's 2011 plans. Today's featured player is safety Alan Ball.)
Name: Alan Ball
Position: Safety
Height/Weight: 6-2, 195
Experience: Three seasons
College: Illinois
Key stat: It's flawed logic to pinpoint Ball for all the Cowboys' secondary struggles last year, but he was the only new starter defensive, so he must take some blame. The unit allowed 243.4 passing yards per game, up from 225.4 in 2009, but more damaging, opponents scored 33 touchdowns through the air, up from 19 the year before.
Contract Status: Received original draft choice (seventh-round) tender.
2010 Impact: In theory, Ball's history as a cornerback would've brought a new degree of ranginess and ball-hawking ability to the secondary, but it rarely appeared. He did display the ability to get to the sideline in help coverage from time to time, but more often than that teams found ways to exploit his inexperience at the position, throwing confusing route combinations his way to get receivers open in a vacated part of the field. His tackling wasn't as suspect as many feared it would be, though he never seemed natural at bringing guys down in the open field. Overall, he did nothing to make the Cowboys stop looking for the safety answers they've been after since Darren Woodson retired in 2004.
Where He Fits: Despite what was left to be desired in Ball's play as a safety, he can still play a valuable role for the Cowboys going forward. His experience at both safety and corner would make him a tolerable backup for both positions on the 45-man roster for game days, and more of a depth role would free him up to play on the special teams coverage units that missed his presence last year. And, if the Cowboys totally strike out in their search for a replacement this offseason, the experience of 2010 should at least have him better prepared if he again wins a starting job in camp.
Writers' Analysis:
Josh Ellis: The thing about Alan Ball is he didn't back his way into a starting job at free safety, but rather forced his way onto the field by playing pretty well on defense whenever he got the chance. Coaches thought he was just as good as Ken Hamlin in the four games he started in 2009 when Hamlin was hurt, though maybe teams just hadn't figured him out at that point. Obviously he wasn't the improvement the Cowboys thought they were getting, but he Cowboys defense was a total disaster in 2010, and it's wrong to pin it all on Ball. He's a strong competitor, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him fight back and have a prolonged career with more starts down the road.
Nick Eatman: Without sounding hypocritical, Ball is one of those players that you should probably try to replace as a starter, but want to make sure he's on the team. Guys like him have value, just maybe not as a starter. As a defensive coach, I would like to have a guy with his size able to play both corner and safety and he's done a nice job on special teams. But I think you throw him out there with the rest of the safeties in competition and see if he's improved. It was his first year to start. That being said, I don't go into the draft thinking I've got Alan Ball so I don't need help. No, help is needed. But I think Ball still has a place on this team somewhere.
