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By Jennifer Floyd Engel
jenfloyd@star-telegram.com
IRVING -- Wade Phillips worshipped at the altar of sacks.
He loved them, talked incessantly about them, memorized how many his Cowboys had at that given moment and where said number ranked them league-wise and interjected said minutia into conversations on everything from QB Tony Romo's health to a glaring lack of turnovers forced during his regime.
And if I had $1 for every time Coach Wade answered a question about lack of turnovers with sack stats, I'd be able to afford a couple of margaritas at JerryWorld.
His defenses were never turnover machines, the mere mention of which made him very, very touchy. He started robo-calling where his team ranked defensively and "W" totals until my brain started to hurt.
So why is it defensive turnovers have skyrocketed since a guy who was considered one of the brightest defensive minds in the league -- a guy many of my media brethren argued deserved to keep his job as head coach based on his DC abilities -- was chucked?
Really, I am asking.
Asked almost everybody I bumped into at Valley Ranch on Wednesday in search of an answer.
"I don't want to compare it to any point in this season or to years past," Jason Garrett said in his usual diplomatic way, "but I do know there is an emphasis we are going to make because of the importance of this area."
Listen, I disliked The Wade Era more than anybody, called for its end long before most and even I know the guy emphasized turnovers. He was not a football idiot.
So what flipped the switch?
The truth is more than emphasizing turnovers; the Cowboys have de-emphasized the love of Coach Wade's football life: the sack.
The Cowboys do not blitz as much. They play more zone.
The onus is now on all 11 guys to create takeaways, not simply on the guys sent hurtling toward the QB on any given play.
And that emphasis, according to Cowboys defenders, is why they have forced 11 turnovers in four games under The RHG regime as opposed to 10 under Coach Wade in eight.
It is also why they are better defensively.
It is pretty easy actually.
De-emphasizing sacks and its corollary of blitzing less mean the cornerbacks, safeties and anybody else in coverage do not have their backs to the QB as much. They can see the ball. And you can step in front of/catch/run for daylight with what you can see.
As Sean Lee did twice Sunday to Peyton freaking Manning.
Orlando Scandrick, too.
Four interceptions of Manning, two for touchdowns.
"Harp on it, just talk about it, preach it, practice it, put extra emphasis on it" was Scandrick's explanation for the uptick in takeaways.
What he excluded was: Put players in position to actually get turnovers.
Especially this secondary.
It is almost a yearly thing in Dallas, talk of how the Cowboys secondary stinks and who needs to go.
The problem, under Coach Wade, was the Cowboys' entire defensive identity used to be based on pressuring and hitting and, yes, sacking the QB.
And blitzing is great... if you get there.
The Jets get there. I'd love to see their blitz-to-sack ratio. Because the real genius of the blitz is, if you hit the QB enough, he eventually will start throwing picks.
The problem is it never quite worked that way in Dallas, even when the Cowboys were amassing a lot of sacks on blitzes. And when they were not getting there, everybody looked bad.
JG does not have anything against blitzing or sacks, at least I do not think so. Neither does his defensive coordinator, Paul Pasqualoni. What DC in this league does not like a well-timed sack?
What the Cowboys have stopped doing is selling their soul to get at QBs.
And they have stopped overvaluing players with that skill set over those who do well in coverage.
In the giddy aftermath of the Cowboys' locker room in Indy, I had a Valley Ranch type whisper: "Makes you wonder why we did not see more of Sean Lee earlier."
Good point.
Health played a role. He had a lot of nagging this and thats and has another bruised whatever this week as well. And his extended stay in the tub led to questions about his readiness. You have to wonder, though, if his ability to drop deep and take in the whole field was viewed as not as important by Coach Wade.
Only Wade knows, and he is busy comparing his time in Dallas to Tom Landry's.
So let us go to his favorite barometer. The stats.
Sacks are down under The RHG. Takeaways are up. So are W's.
"There is no stat that correlates more to winning than turnover ratio does," JG said Wednesday. "So we are going to make it an emphasis."
So join me in a moment of silence for Wade's beloved sack.
De-emphasized but not forgotten.
jenfloyd@star-telegram.com
IRVING -- Wade Phillips worshipped at the altar of sacks.
He loved them, talked incessantly about them, memorized how many his Cowboys had at that given moment and where said number ranked them league-wise and interjected said minutia into conversations on everything from QB Tony Romo's health to a glaring lack of turnovers forced during his regime.
And if I had $1 for every time Coach Wade answered a question about lack of turnovers with sack stats, I'd be able to afford a couple of margaritas at JerryWorld.
His defenses were never turnover machines, the mere mention of which made him very, very touchy. He started robo-calling where his team ranked defensively and "W" totals until my brain started to hurt.
So why is it defensive turnovers have skyrocketed since a guy who was considered one of the brightest defensive minds in the league -- a guy many of my media brethren argued deserved to keep his job as head coach based on his DC abilities -- was chucked?
Really, I am asking.
Asked almost everybody I bumped into at Valley Ranch on Wednesday in search of an answer.
"I don't want to compare it to any point in this season or to years past," Jason Garrett said in his usual diplomatic way, "but I do know there is an emphasis we are going to make because of the importance of this area."
Listen, I disliked The Wade Era more than anybody, called for its end long before most and even I know the guy emphasized turnovers. He was not a football idiot.
So what flipped the switch?
The truth is more than emphasizing turnovers; the Cowboys have de-emphasized the love of Coach Wade's football life: the sack.
The Cowboys do not blitz as much. They play more zone.
The onus is now on all 11 guys to create takeaways, not simply on the guys sent hurtling toward the QB on any given play.
And that emphasis, according to Cowboys defenders, is why they have forced 11 turnovers in four games under The RHG regime as opposed to 10 under Coach Wade in eight.
It is also why they are better defensively.
It is pretty easy actually.
De-emphasizing sacks and its corollary of blitzing less mean the cornerbacks, safeties and anybody else in coverage do not have their backs to the QB as much. They can see the ball. And you can step in front of/catch/run for daylight with what you can see.
As Sean Lee did twice Sunday to Peyton freaking Manning.
Orlando Scandrick, too.
Four interceptions of Manning, two for touchdowns.
"Harp on it, just talk about it, preach it, practice it, put extra emphasis on it" was Scandrick's explanation for the uptick in takeaways.
What he excluded was: Put players in position to actually get turnovers.
Especially this secondary.
It is almost a yearly thing in Dallas, talk of how the Cowboys secondary stinks and who needs to go.
The problem, under Coach Wade, was the Cowboys' entire defensive identity used to be based on pressuring and hitting and, yes, sacking the QB.
And blitzing is great... if you get there.
The Jets get there. I'd love to see their blitz-to-sack ratio. Because the real genius of the blitz is, if you hit the QB enough, he eventually will start throwing picks.
The problem is it never quite worked that way in Dallas, even when the Cowboys were amassing a lot of sacks on blitzes. And when they were not getting there, everybody looked bad.
JG does not have anything against blitzing or sacks, at least I do not think so. Neither does his defensive coordinator, Paul Pasqualoni. What DC in this league does not like a well-timed sack?
What the Cowboys have stopped doing is selling their soul to get at QBs.
And they have stopped overvaluing players with that skill set over those who do well in coverage.
In the giddy aftermath of the Cowboys' locker room in Indy, I had a Valley Ranch type whisper: "Makes you wonder why we did not see more of Sean Lee earlier."
Good point.
Health played a role. He had a lot of nagging this and thats and has another bruised whatever this week as well. And his extended stay in the tub led to questions about his readiness. You have to wonder, though, if his ability to drop deep and take in the whole field was viewed as not as important by Coach Wade.
Only Wade knows, and he is busy comparing his time in Dallas to Tom Landry's.
So let us go to his favorite barometer. The stats.
Sacks are down under The RHG. Takeaways are up. So are W's.
"There is no stat that correlates more to winning than turnover ratio does," JG said Wednesday. "So we are going to make it an emphasis."
So join me in a moment of silence for Wade's beloved sack.
De-emphasized but not forgotten.
