Cowboys add numbers to their 3-4
Team looks deep into future by drafting heavy on defensive side
5/1/2006
By JEAN-JACQUES TAYLOR / The Dallas Morning News
IRVING – Owner Jerry Jones admits he has no idea how long Bill Parcells will coach the Cowboys. But Jones does know the 3-4 defensive scheme Parcells has implemented isn't going anywhere.
The Cowboys continued their commitment to the scheme Sunday, when they drafted Florida State free safety Pat Watkins in the fifth round and Louisville nose tackle Montavious Stanley in the sixth round on the second day of the 2006 NFL draft.
The Cowboys added LSU kick returner Skyler Green in the fourth round and offensive linemen Pat McQuistan (Weber State) and E.J. Whitley (Texas Tech) in the seventh round.
But it was clear this draft focused on defense. After all, the Cowboys added Ohio State linebacker Bobby Carpenter in the first round and Grambling defensive end Jason Hatcher in the third round.
"When we make draft picks and decisions, we hope these players are going to be contributing many years down the road," Jones said. "I'm just trying to be realistic when we make decisions on players.
"I have always tried to have those players fit the system we're going to be in in the future. We're making a conscious decision to fit these players into the 3-4."
Although four of the Cowboys' first six selections were defensive players, vice president of college and pro scouting Jeff Ireland said the Cowboys were simply trying to take the highest-rated player each round.
"The draft was kind of a defensive heavy draft. That's where the players fell," Ireland said. "It's not that we were looking at any particular position, but we wanted guys we felt could come right in and contribute."
For the first 15 years Jones owned the Cowboys, Dallas' 4-3 defense was built around speedy, undersized players who could make plays sideline-to-sideline. Now, the Cowboys' defensive scheme is built around big, physical players capable of winning one-on-one battles at the line of scrimmage.
New England and Pittsburgh have used this scheme to win four of the last seven Super Bowls. Jones said he's convinced the 3-4 provides Dallas with its best opportunity to win games, add players and compete at an elite level because it's easier to find impact players that fit into the 3-4 than the 4-3.
The transformation of the defense began last year, when the Cowboys drafted linebacker DeMarcus Ware and defensive end Marcus Spears in the first round, linebacker Kevin Burnett in the second round and defensive end Chris Canty in the fourth round, while adding nose tackle Jason Ferguson and cornerback Anthony Henry in free agency.
Jones said he wouldn't have spent so many draft choices and so much money on players to fit the 3-4 if he didn't plan to keep the scheme regardless of the coach. That's the same philosophy he used with the Cowboys' previous scheme that lasted through four different head coaches.
"We've got a real strong foundation because of the last few drafts, going back to Roy Williams and Bradie James," Jones said of 2002 and 2003. "The opportunity and players were there for us to bolster us in the direction we're trying to go with our 3-4."
The Cowboys hope Stanley can give them some size in the middle of the defense. In the 3-4, the nose tackle must command a double-team or the guards will get a free run at the inside linebackers, who are usually outweighed by 50 pounds.
La'Roi Glover was undersized and often struggled to hold his ground at the line of scrimamge. Ferguson has a powerful lower body and forces teams to double-team him, but nose tackle is such a physically demanding position that Dallas wanted another player capable of manning the spot.
"You have Ferguson in there, and you can't leave him every single play," Ireland said. "Getting bigger in there so we're not getting knocked off the ball was a priority for us."
With Keith Davis and Marcus Coleman on the roster at safety, the Cowboys have players capable of starting. They swapped fifth-round picks with the Jets and gave up a sixth-round choice to move up 12 spots and grab Watkins because of his size (6-5, 212 pounds) and ball skills.
"To trade up and get a player we really wanted made all the sense in the world," Jones said. "How foolish would we have felt if we got to the end of this thing if we let a sixth-round pick stand in the way of getting a guy we really had pointed toward?"
