Name: Igor Olshansky
Position: Defensive End
Height/Weight: 6-5/317
Experience: 7 seasons
College: Oregon
Key Stat: The significant number for Olshansky is one. That's how many times in 15 games last year that Olshansky made a tackle behind the line of scrimmage. While he had just 27 overall tackles, Olshansky couldn't manage more than one tackle for a loss and it was only for minus-one yard.
Contract Status: Signed through 2012.
2010 Impact: While defensive ends in a 3-4 scheme typically don't make an abundance of plays, Olshansky certainly was not an exception to the rule. He was 10th on the defense last year with 27 tackles and played in 15 games with 14 starts. In this particular scheme, players such as DeMarcus Ware and Jay Ratliff receive plenty of blocking attention, which often leaves the defensive ends with one-on-one matchups. Olshansky and the other defensive ends have always needed to make more plays in the passing game. The Cowboys did rank 12th in the NFL against the run, which is usually the biggest priority for defensive ends.
Where He Fits: If there is one certainty at the defensive end position, it would be with Olshansky. While the Cowboys have three other potential free agents at defensive end in Marcus Spears, Stephen Bowen and Jason Hatcher, Olshansky is really the only player we know will be around. Now he does have two years remaining on his contract and depending on what happens with the Cowboys re-signing some of these current vets, his long-term future with the team might be somewhat shaky. But he'll be around this year and it'll be interesting to see how quickly he adapts to Rob Ryan's defensive scheme.
Writers' Analysis:
Nick Eatman: I try and give defensive ends in a 3-4 scheme the benefit of the doubt most of the time when it comes to stats. For years, I've said guys like Spears are more valuable than their sack-totals and overall tackle stats suggest. But I think we can all say the defensive ends struggled last year and Olshansky is right there in the mix. No, they're not going to fill up a stat sheet but you would expect a few more plays out of them. It's not like they get doubled every single play. There are times you need to win one-on-one battles and Olshansky hasn't always done that. You need him this year for sure, but I don't know if he'll be in the long-term plans for this team.
Josh Ellis: Just a function of the team defense playing so badly last season, virtually every player seemed to perform worse than the year before. Olshansky was one of those, and has to get some of the blame for the run defense breaking down routinely. I think he and Marcus Spears are pretty comparable, but Olshansky's contract is fairly team-friendly, so he's likely to return, while Spears could be playing elsewhere. If he isn't better in 2011, though, there's no guarantee he'll see the end of his four-year contract, because it would also be team-friendly if the Cowboys wanted to break it by releasing him.
Position: Defensive End
Height/Weight: 6-5/317
Experience: 7 seasons
College: Oregon
Key Stat: The significant number for Olshansky is one. That's how many times in 15 games last year that Olshansky made a tackle behind the line of scrimmage. While he had just 27 overall tackles, Olshansky couldn't manage more than one tackle for a loss and it was only for minus-one yard.
Contract Status: Signed through 2012.
2010 Impact: While defensive ends in a 3-4 scheme typically don't make an abundance of plays, Olshansky certainly was not an exception to the rule. He was 10th on the defense last year with 27 tackles and played in 15 games with 14 starts. In this particular scheme, players such as DeMarcus Ware and Jay Ratliff receive plenty of blocking attention, which often leaves the defensive ends with one-on-one matchups. Olshansky and the other defensive ends have always needed to make more plays in the passing game. The Cowboys did rank 12th in the NFL against the run, which is usually the biggest priority for defensive ends.
Where He Fits: If there is one certainty at the defensive end position, it would be with Olshansky. While the Cowboys have three other potential free agents at defensive end in Marcus Spears, Stephen Bowen and Jason Hatcher, Olshansky is really the only player we know will be around. Now he does have two years remaining on his contract and depending on what happens with the Cowboys re-signing some of these current vets, his long-term future with the team might be somewhat shaky. But he'll be around this year and it'll be interesting to see how quickly he adapts to Rob Ryan's defensive scheme.
Writers' Analysis:
Nick Eatman: I try and give defensive ends in a 3-4 scheme the benefit of the doubt most of the time when it comes to stats. For years, I've said guys like Spears are more valuable than their sack-totals and overall tackle stats suggest. But I think we can all say the defensive ends struggled last year and Olshansky is right there in the mix. No, they're not going to fill up a stat sheet but you would expect a few more plays out of them. It's not like they get doubled every single play. There are times you need to win one-on-one battles and Olshansky hasn't always done that. You need him this year for sure, but I don't know if he'll be in the long-term plans for this team.
Josh Ellis: Just a function of the team defense playing so badly last season, virtually every player seemed to perform worse than the year before. Olshansky was one of those, and has to get some of the blame for the run defense breaking down routinely. I think he and Marcus Spears are pretty comparable, but Olshansky's contract is fairly team-friendly, so he's likely to return, while Spears could be playing elsewhere. If he isn't better in 2011, though, there's no guarantee he'll see the end of his four-year contract, because it would also be team-friendly if the Cowboys wanted to break it by releasing him.
