DMN Blog: Spears might be done

Yesterday I posted what the Cowboys should do in the NFL draft later this month. I pointed out the so-so season of Marcus Spears, the starting defensive end, as one of the reasons why Dallas might draft defense in the first round. Some of you have questioned this, others have not.

Here's the deal. He almost lost his starting job during the season when then-coach Bill Parcells wanted more production out of him.

Now here's a look at the numbers:

Spears had 48 total tackles, ninth on the team, he had only one sack and three quarterback pressures. He also had two tackles for loss.

Jason Hatcher, a rookie who played on certain situations, had four sacks and was tied with Chris Canty for the team lead with seven quarterback pressures. Hatcher finished with 2 1/2 sacks last season and 13 total tackles.

It would be interesting to see if Hatcher can wrestle the job away from Spears in 2007.

The Cowboys' defensive scheme had something to do with these low numbers for Spears. So with the new defense expected to allow guys like Spears to do some things, like lineup on the outside shoulder of the tackle and stunt, I wonder if he can take his game to another level.

Posted by Calvin Watkins at 2:03 PM (E-mail this entry) | Comments (4)