The Way We Hear It

from www.profootballweekly.com

One of the things that people assumed when Jerry Jones hired Wade Phillips to replace Bill Parcells was that the owner wanted continuity. But based on the early returns from minicamp and organized team activities, the model of defense Parcells ran the past few seasons and the one Phillips is installing are different beasts entirely. Parcells’ system requires the defensive linemen to two-gap a majority of the time, and the inside linebackers for the most part were left uncovered. That meant they had to take on offensive guards head-up a high number of plays each season, and it’s one of the factors that contributed to Bradie James’ subpar season. He now is expected to blitz more, something he seldom did before. DEs Marcus Spears and Chris Canty (who must hold off Jason Hatcher) also had unproductive seasons in 2006, but Phillips’ scheme allows them to run more freely. The central theme of the new defense appears to be one of attack, and that should suit some personnel who at times looked frustrated with the lack of creativity up front last season.