Those preseason predictions that the Dallas Cowboys would have an embarrassingly awful defense, a unit that offered little resistance, couldn't get teams off the field and would make Tony Romo a turnover machine haven't exactly come to fruition.
Admit it, you thought they would be the Allas Cowboys -- no D at all.
I will not sit here and say the Cowboys defense so far is the reason they are 6-1 and one of the surprise teams of the first half of the season. But it is a unit that is far better than the doomsday outlook that most expected.
The gloomy thinking was understandable. The Cowboys allowed the third-most yards in NFL history in 2013 as teams rolled up 6,645 yards, 415 per game and scored 27 points per game. They also cut DeMarcus Ware, their only real pass-rush threat, and second-round draft pick Demarcus Lawrence, a player they thought could step in and help replace Ware, was lost for 12 weeks in late July.
In addition, Sean Lee, their starting middle linebacker, went down for the year in June with a knee injury and corner Orlando Scandrick was suspended the first two games for violating the league's substance-abuse policy.
So what happened? The Cowboys defense improved. They have a long way to go to be considered one of the NFL's best, but they are 14th in total defense and, more importantly, ninth in scoring defense.
Most of the defensive numbers are middle of the road, but after having a historically bad defense a year ago that's huge progress. They do lead the NFL in fewest first downs allowed.
It all starts with defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli. He took over this season from Monte Kiffin and the defense has responded. They play like Marinelli coaches: Fiery, all-out, all the time.
Maybe that's because they all have something to prove. On the starting 11, the Cowboys drafted just three of them and none higher than the third round. Anthony Spencer, who plays in their sub-packages, was a first-round pick by the Cowboys, but that's it.
It is a group made up of castoffs, cheap free agents and a huge reclamation project in middle linebacker Rolando McClain, who came over from Baltimore in a trade this summer -- right out of retirement.
McClain was a former first-round pick by the Raiders, was released in April of 2013, signed with the Ravens, was arrested for shouting an expletive at a police officer, told the Ravens he was retiring and was ready to move on with his life last year. At this time a year ago, he was attending classes at Alabama, his alma mater.
Now he's the leader of the defense, filling a void left by the departure of Lee.
The paths these players have taken shows up on Sundays. They play like their jobs are on the line. That's what stands out from the Cowboys tape I studied: It is a hungry bunch. They also play fast and get to the football.
In addition to McClain, some of the keys to their improvement are:
•Down linemen Jeremy Mincey and Tyrone Crawford are relentless in their style of play, and that trickles down to the players around them. Mincey plays the all-important right end spot, and while he doesn't have speed off the edge he has great power and leverage and can collapse the pocket. Mincey dominated Russell Okung two weeks ago in Seattle.
Crawford was moved inside to 3-technique tackle from end, where he started the first three games, and has responded with a heck of a season. He missed all of 2013 with a torn Achilles tendon, but this 2012 third-round pick is emerging as budding star. He is still without a sack, but he has 18 pressures on the season to lead the team. He never lets up.
•Orlando Scandrick doesn't get the due that some top corners get, but he is a good cover player, a willing tackler and he plays hard all the time. He's the kind of player you want in the secondary. He seems to feast on the biggest challenges. With Morris Clairborne, one of their top three corners out, Scandrick is even more valuable now. He teams with Brandon Carr and Sterling Moore -- who is playing well as the extra corner -- to give the Cowboys a nice three-man group -- even without a great pass rush.
•Linebacker Justin Durant. The Cowboys are his third team, but he fits with the scheme perfectly. He has good speed, which allows him to get to the football and stay in on third down. Durant played every snap last week against the Giants.
•Safety Barry Church. He leads the team in tackles with 41 and has been a steadying influence in the secondary. The fifth-year player is 6-2, 218 pounds, so he's like an extra linebacker at times in the run game. He is much better in the run game than against the pass, but he is improved there as well. He's an undrafted free agent, so he fits with the theme of the defense.
The intensity these guys play with is what makes it all work. They play the scheme well too. Marinelli has simplified things, which means you don't see a lot of exotic looks. They play Cover-2 and Cover-3, and they blitz when needed. This is a far cry from what Rob Ryan did when he ran things a few years ago with his maniacal way of doing things.
In studying the Dallas tapes, I was impressed with the number of plays that saw multiple players giving extra effort to get to the football. It's not just a couple of players either. It's the entire defense, backups included.
Here's a look at one of those plays from their game with Seattle in Week Six.
Play: First and 10 from the Seattle 32 in the first quarter with 13:34 left.
Offense: Posse (3 WR, TE, 1RB) with trips to the right.
Defense: (Nickel, four-man front, eight-man box (safety down), four under Cover-3
It was a screen to the right to Marshawn Lynch. The Cowboys, led by McClain (No. 55), did a great job of reacting to it.
McClain immediately ran to that side and to get a piece of Lynch. But what I want to focus on is the way defensive tackle Nick Hayden played it. Like McClain, he read screen right away, and immediately turned to make a fast move to his left. I am not sure McClain's tackle would have put Lynch on the ground, but the hustle and desire showed by Hayden to come over did the job. Here's a view of that play:
Here's another play that shows the desire and determination of this group, once again how they make up for a lack of talent by playing that way.
Play: First-and-20 at midfield with 2:51 left in the third quarter.
Offense: Posse (3WR, 1TE, 1RB)
Defense: 4-2-5 (nickel), two-deep zone.
The Cowboys showed a seven-man box with Scandrick down on the outside of the defensive end. The Giants, sensing a run advantage, checked to an inside run to Andre Williams. With tight end Daniel Fells leading him into the hole, there was room for Williams if he could get through. One problem: McClain read the play, jumped around the traffic and came from the outside to drop him for a 1-yard gain. That showed McClain's quickness. He was able to get from a bad position to be the primary tackler.
The Cowboys are far from being an elite defense. They still lack the premier pass rusher, and it shows. Dallas has just six sacks on the season to tie Oakland for 30th in the league. That's not good enough.
Dallas is also 30th in yards per rush and 24th in passing yards per play. Are those numbers indicative of a team hiding flaws? Will they eventually be exposed?
Maybe, but they expect to get Lawrence back in a few weeks and speedy linebacker Bruce Carter will be back from his injury soon. When those two get back out on the field, they better play like their defensive mates, which is hard, fast and smart on every play.
Those are the reasons why the D is back in Dallas.
More film room observations
The evolution of Ryan Tannehill: I am not going to sit here and say Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill has taken his game to a level where he needs to be considered among the top quarterbacks from his draft class. That would mean Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson good. He isn't there.
But I have to say that Tannehill's play the past few weeks has been good enough where the Dolphins have to be excited about his growth.
In the past three games, he has six touchdown passes and three picks, but in Miami's upset of the Bears last week he had two touchdown passes and no picks. He completed his first 14 passes and finished 25 of 32 for 277 yards. In his last three games, Tannehill is 68 for 94 for 799 yards. His passer rating of 123.6 last week against the Bears was the best of his career.
In addition, Tannehill has run for 35, 49 and 48 yards the past three weeks, which is an added weapon. He had a 26-yard run last week on a read-option play.
That's all well and good, but it's his growth in the pocket that has to give the Dolphins reason for optimism. Playing in this new offense under coordinator Bill Lazor for the first time in his career, Tannehill seems much more comfortable than in his first two seasons.
It helps that his line is better, and he isn't getting beaten up like he was last year when he was sacked 58 times. That has led to a quarterback much more willing to go through his progressions.
There were several plays last week where Tannehill opened to his first read on one side and came back to make a play on the other side of the field. That's what quarterbacks have to be able to do in a league with so many complex defensive looks.
It takes calm. It takes fearlessness. And it takes the smarts to know who could be available if the first and second options are taken away.
Tannehill's 10-yard touchdown throw to Mike Wallace last week might not seem like much on the stat sheet, but the tape shows a quarterback who is growing up.
Here's a look at the play:
Play: Second-and-goal at the Chicago 10 with 5:26 left in the second quarter.
Offense: Regular (2WR, 1TE, 2 RB)
Defense: Base 4-3 front, blitz linebacker, 5-man rush. Cover-3)
On the play, Tannehill motioned tight end Charles Clay (red circle) from the right to left and he settled in outside of slot receiver Brian Hartline(yellow circle). At the snap, Hartline ran a shallow cross, while Clay ran a skinny post. Tannehill appeared to want to go to Clay, but linebacker D.J. Williamsmoved in that direction, sort of into the passing lane. I think Tannehill still could have fit the ball into Clay, but it was riskier with Williams making that move.
So he came off of him and moved to the other side. He had Hartline on a cross, but passed and instead went to Wallace (blue) in the back of the end zone. As Wallace pivoted away from cornerTim Jennings, Tannehill was already making his throw. The ball was on target for the score. That's the kind of play the Dolphins have been waiting to see from Tannehill. Here it is in full speed:
That doesn't mean everything is good. He still has a tendency to get panicked in the pocket at times and he doesn't do a good job with the deep passes, despite having Wallace, who can fly. Tannehill has 14 pass plays of 20 yards or more this season, but none of 40 or longer. In his career, he has just 13 pass plays of 40 yards or longer.
That's one of the next steps for Tannehill. Another is consistency. We've seen him string a few good games together in the past, but it never stays that way. He has to keep the curve going up.
This is a huge year for him. The Dolphins have him under contract through the 2015 season, but he has to show that he is the long-term answer. If he can have games like he had in Chicago, where he clearly outplayed Jay Cutler, then the Dolphins will almost certainly have to decide he is their guy. If he regresses, then the questions about him will surface to the top again.
J.J. Watt play of the week: Since J.J. Watt is such a defensive presence, I highlight one of his plays here each week. His game against the Steelers Monday night wasn't up to his recent standards in terms of production, but you can't expect that every week. He did get a sack and had three tackles and two quarterback hurries. The problem for him, as it has been much of the season, is that he was doubled on almost every play. The Steelers would slide protection to him, would keep tight ends in to help and would use backs to double with the offensive linemen at times.
Even on his sack, Watt had to deal with left tackle Kelvin Beachum and running back Le'Veon Bell, who chipped him as he went out into his route. Watt was able to slide inside of Beachum and dump Ben Roethlisberger for the sack. Even when doubled, Watt continued to battle and get into the play. Even when he's taken out of the play, he is so persistent he sometimes finds ways to get back into it and be part of the tackle. Here's a look at a play where he didn't get credit for a tackle or an assist, but clearly made the play by using his speed and quickness to avoid the double even getting on him.
Watt was lined up on tight end Heath Miller. At the snap, he slanted hard inside, which prevented Miller from getting a piece of him. Miller then moved to the next level when it appeared that Beachum had Watt pushed far enough inside to allow the play to be run wide to the left. But the Texans did a good job of setting the edge, so LaGarrette Blount tried to jump inside. Watt was waiting there after throwing Beachum off of him. What's great about the play is that Watt missed Blount twice, but still had a hand in the tackle while on his knees.
Colts defense on fire: Name the second-rated scoring defense in the NFL? Seattle? Nope. San Francisco? Nope. Try the Indianapolis Colts. The Baltimore Ravens are first in the league, but the Colts are a surprising second. After watching their tape against the Bengals, you can see why. They dominated Cincinnati's offense. The Colts held the Bengals to 1-of-13 on third down. That's been a season-long trend for the Colts, who lead the NFL in third-down defense at 25.9-percent conversion rate. That number is surprising when you consider Robert Mathis, their 20-sack player from 2013, is out for the season. That's forced the Colts to get pass rush from others. The Colts are tied with Detroit and Denver for third in the league with 21 sacks.
They have six players with at least two sacks, and Bjoern Werner leads the team with four. The Colts are getting good seasons from down linemen Cory Redding and Ricky Jean-Francois, and the secondary is much improved. Corner Vontae Davis is having a great season and free safety Mike Adams, signed as a free agent, has been a pleasant surprise. Colts defensive coordinator Greg Manusky is doing a heck of a job with a unit that is without a true star player. It helps that Luck allows them to play with the lead a lot, but the defense has made big strides.
