down linemen, sometimes four, sometimes two with athletic linebackers scattered all over the formation. Did I say athletic? See D-Ware, Anthony Spencer, Sean Lee and Bruce Carter (when healthy enough to be athletic again). That was something former head coach/defensive coordinator Wade Phillips utilized a couple of years, again, if you remember, moving Spencer around to keep defenses from zeroing in on his path of flight.
In other words, attack protections instead of playing it straight up, which OK, has its downsides if you don't get there, but also huge upsides if you do. And, you can be a little more cavalier with your defensive calls when playing with an offense that can churn out yards, one last season that helped the Cowboys gain 5,828 yards and as a team score 394 points. And let me remind you that accounted for the third-most total yards gained since 1983 and the third-most points scored by the club since 1995.
And this with the starting quarterback only starting six games. Seriously?
And ... I know I don't need to beat you over the head reminding you the Cowboys gave up a franchise-record 436 points last season, 31 more than the previous worst established in 2004 when the Cowboys had a remedial offense, scoring just 18.3 points a game. And get this, those 436 represented 43 more than were coughed up during the 1989 season of 1-15. Oh, and if you need a little more insult to last year's injury, the Cowboys also established a franchise high for opponent yards gained, 20 more than the previous mark established in 1985.
That bad, as bad as it gets.
So yeah, sic 'em Rob. Attack. Drive by. Hit the quarterbacks. Scare 'em. Worry the stew out of 'em. Whatever. Why, this has been a franchise known for Doomsday, The Flex and once carrying sticks so big they grabbed nine turnovers in Super Bowl XXVII. Time for a defensive renaissance, don't you think?
That's the hope.
