D-Line Needs Youngsters To Grow Up Fast
IRVING, Texas - Anytime you release a five-time Pro Bowler, and demote another veteran to second-team in the defensive line rotation, you had better be sure of the players you have stepping in to fill the void.
And, apparently, the Cowboys are.
The team cut defensive tackle La'Roi Glover in March, the 10-year veteran then signing with St. Louis, and head coach Bill Parcells has said Greg Ellis, a long-time staple of the Cowboys D-Line, will be used as more of a situational pass rusher and fill a stop-gap role in the rotation.
Youth must be served, you see. And the Cowboys certainly aren't lacking for youth on the defensive line.
Of the expected starters on the three-man front, two are entering their second season in the NFL, while only nose tackle Jason Ferguson, a free agent signee a year ago, has much experience. Ferguson is entering his 10th NFL campaign.
But Ferguson can't take the beating a 3-4 nose tackle takes every play, so essentially the Cowboys will look for second-year tackle Thomas "Pepper" Johnson or rookie Montavious Stanley to fill the big shoes Glover left behind.
They surely won't be Pro Bowlers like Glover, but if the Cowboys can get away with a Stanley-Johnson combination to spell Ferguson, they'll be doing well.
"I've always been one that liked to rotate defensive linemen; I'm going to continue to do it," Parcells said at the team's June minicamp.
At the end spots the Cowboys will need Marcus Spears and Chris Canty to take the next step in their NFL development. The 20th overall pick in the 2005 draft, Spears took a while to acclimate in his rookie season after a training camp injury, but eventually supplanted Kenyon Coleman and made a couple plays late in the year, including a 59-yard fumble return in the Cowboys late-season win over Kansas City.
Canty was the surprise of the 2005 season. Entering his senior season at Virginia he was considered a first-round talent, but knee and eye injuries earned him the label of a risky pick, and he slipped all the way to the fourth round where the Cowboys traded up to select him.
Still, many thought Canty's continued rehab would likely keep him off the field in 2005, but the 6-7, 295-pounder would go on to play in every game last season, recording 23 tackles, 2.5 sacks and forcing a fumble. By season's end, Canty had taken Ellis' starting position, his large frame allowing him to stand up better against double teams in the three-man line.
So if Canty and Spears can improve, and Johnson can team with Stanley to relieve Ferguson from time-to-time the line should be OK.
Third-round pick Jason Hatcher should take some of the pressure off of Spears and Canty at the end position, but it remains to be seen how he can adjust to the NFL after playing Division I-AA ball at Grambling State. Ellis will work some as a hybrid, pass-rushing linebacker and some in relief at defensive end.
We think.
Ellis, who is not happy with his demotion, has been asking for more of a financial commitment from the Cowboys. While he is signed through next season, Ellis is worried that with fewer snaps, his market value could be diminished if he's eventually released, as happened with Glover. An eight-year veteran, Ellis has led the team, or at least tied for the lead in sacks, the last five years. After not attending the team's On-Field Training Activities in June, the question lingers, will Ellis even report to camp? If he and the Cowboys brass can iron out their differences, Ellis will certainly be an asset to the team in whatever role he plays.
"I had a talk with him about it," Parcells said. "I really think that Greg is one of two good pressure players we have here. And I told him that until he sees two or three more DeMarcus Ware's coming through here, then he shouldn't be worried about his job.
"Until we get somebody a lot better at doing what he can do, he's going to be an important part of the defense."
And really, Ellis isn't all that different from the final six players on the defensive line depth chart, all trying to find their place on the final roster.
Take Coleman, the fifth-year end, who is the veteran of that second-wave group. That, though, might be working against him. If one of the Cowboys young ends can do what Coleman can, the team would be more inclined to go with the younger, cheaper end. Coleman was active for 12 games in '05, but when Spears was healthy and ready to play more of a role, Coleman seemed expendable.
Probably the most notable of the younger guys along the line is last year's seventh-round pick Jay Ratliff, who played in four games before landing on injured reserve Nov. 1 with an ankle injury. With the injury now completely healed, Ratliff has the inside track on one of the final roster spots, likely as a guy who can play several different positions on the line.
So when looking at the big picture, indeed the Cowboys need youth to be served on the defensive line.
FITTING IN
Greg Ellis: Still worried about the team's commitment to him, but gives the Cowboys a solid pass rusher on the nickel.
Jason Ferguson: Will be leaned on more in 2006 without Glover around; needs to be a rock in the middle.
Marcus Spears: Progress is the key. Needs to handle double teams and make a few plays.
Chris Canty: The sky is the limit for Canty, who seems bigger and stronger since spending the off-season working out instead of rehabbing, as he did last year.
Thomas Johnson: Has to show he is capable of coming on in relief of Ferguson.
Jason Hatcher: Must overcome the jump from I-AA to the NFL, but has the body to be successful behind Canty.
Kenyon Coleman: Has to be much better than any of the younger ends to stay on the roster.
Jay Ratliff: Looked like a keeper before 2005 injury; must return to that form.
Montavious Stanley: Parcells said he needed to lose weight, and has. Will compete with Johnson for backup NT snaps.
Vontrell Jamison: Has the right body at 6-7, 285-pounds, but has an uphill road for anymore than a practice squad spot.
Stephen Bowen: Undersized, needs to show his stuff early to stick around past the first cut.
Samuel Taulealea: Might take some of the wear-and-tear off other NTs, but has to really be special to stick around.
And, apparently, the Cowboys are.
The team cut defensive tackle La'Roi Glover in March, the 10-year veteran then signing with St. Louis, and head coach Bill Parcells has said Greg Ellis, a long-time staple of the Cowboys D-Line, will be used as more of a situational pass rusher and fill a stop-gap role in the rotation.
Youth must be served, you see. And the Cowboys certainly aren't lacking for youth on the defensive line.
Of the expected starters on the three-man front, two are entering their second season in the NFL, while only nose tackle Jason Ferguson, a free agent signee a year ago, has much experience. Ferguson is entering his 10th NFL campaign.
But Ferguson can't take the beating a 3-4 nose tackle takes every play, so essentially the Cowboys will look for second-year tackle Thomas "Pepper" Johnson or rookie Montavious Stanley to fill the big shoes Glover left behind.
They surely won't be Pro Bowlers like Glover, but if the Cowboys can get away with a Stanley-Johnson combination to spell Ferguson, they'll be doing well.
"I've always been one that liked to rotate defensive linemen; I'm going to continue to do it," Parcells said at the team's June minicamp.
At the end spots the Cowboys will need Marcus Spears and Chris Canty to take the next step in their NFL development. The 20th overall pick in the 2005 draft, Spears took a while to acclimate in his rookie season after a training camp injury, but eventually supplanted Kenyon Coleman and made a couple plays late in the year, including a 59-yard fumble return in the Cowboys late-season win over Kansas City.
Canty was the surprise of the 2005 season. Entering his senior season at Virginia he was considered a first-round talent, but knee and eye injuries earned him the label of a risky pick, and he slipped all the way to the fourth round where the Cowboys traded up to select him.
Still, many thought Canty's continued rehab would likely keep him off the field in 2005, but the 6-7, 295-pounder would go on to play in every game last season, recording 23 tackles, 2.5 sacks and forcing a fumble. By season's end, Canty had taken Ellis' starting position, his large frame allowing him to stand up better against double teams in the three-man line.
So if Canty and Spears can improve, and Johnson can team with Stanley to relieve Ferguson from time-to-time the line should be OK.
Third-round pick Jason Hatcher should take some of the pressure off of Spears and Canty at the end position, but it remains to be seen how he can adjust to the NFL after playing Division I-AA ball at Grambling State. Ellis will work some as a hybrid, pass-rushing linebacker and some in relief at defensive end.
We think.
Ellis, who is not happy with his demotion, has been asking for more of a financial commitment from the Cowboys. While he is signed through next season, Ellis is worried that with fewer snaps, his market value could be diminished if he's eventually released, as happened with Glover. An eight-year veteran, Ellis has led the team, or at least tied for the lead in sacks, the last five years. After not attending the team's On-Field Training Activities in June, the question lingers, will Ellis even report to camp? If he and the Cowboys brass can iron out their differences, Ellis will certainly be an asset to the team in whatever role he plays.
"I had a talk with him about it," Parcells said. "I really think that Greg is one of two good pressure players we have here. And I told him that until he sees two or three more DeMarcus Ware's coming through here, then he shouldn't be worried about his job.
"Until we get somebody a lot better at doing what he can do, he's going to be an important part of the defense."
And really, Ellis isn't all that different from the final six players on the defensive line depth chart, all trying to find their place on the final roster.
Take Coleman, the fifth-year end, who is the veteran of that second-wave group. That, though, might be working against him. If one of the Cowboys young ends can do what Coleman can, the team would be more inclined to go with the younger, cheaper end. Coleman was active for 12 games in '05, but when Spears was healthy and ready to play more of a role, Coleman seemed expendable.
Probably the most notable of the younger guys along the line is last year's seventh-round pick Jay Ratliff, who played in four games before landing on injured reserve Nov. 1 with an ankle injury. With the injury now completely healed, Ratliff has the inside track on one of the final roster spots, likely as a guy who can play several different positions on the line.
So when looking at the big picture, indeed the Cowboys need youth to be served on the defensive line.
FITTING IN
Greg Ellis: Still worried about the team's commitment to him, but gives the Cowboys a solid pass rusher on the nickel.
Jason Ferguson: Will be leaned on more in 2006 without Glover around; needs to be a rock in the middle.
Marcus Spears: Progress is the key. Needs to handle double teams and make a few plays.
Chris Canty: The sky is the limit for Canty, who seems bigger and stronger since spending the off-season working out instead of rehabbing, as he did last year.
Thomas Johnson: Has to show he is capable of coming on in relief of Ferguson.
Jason Hatcher: Must overcome the jump from I-AA to the NFL, but has the body to be successful behind Canty.
Kenyon Coleman: Has to be much better than any of the younger ends to stay on the roster.
Jay Ratliff: Looked like a keeper before 2005 injury; must return to that form.
Montavious Stanley: Parcells said he needed to lose weight, and has. Will compete with Johnson for backup NT snaps.
Vontrell Jamison: Has the right body at 6-7, 285-pounds, but has an uphill road for anymore than a practice squad spot.
Stephen Bowen: Undersized, needs to show his stuff early to stick around past the first cut.
Samuel Taulealea: Might take some of the wear-and-tear off other NTs, but has to really be special to stick around.
posted by The Gryphon at 10:15 PM
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