No NFL executive or scout can guarantee that a first-round pick is going to be the next star on your football team, but in the case of Anthony Spencer, I am not sure anyone expected him to look this bad.
The Dallas Cowboys made the big mistake of letting Greg Ellis go and giving the starting spot to Spencer, the former 27th first-round pick, who this past winter was charged with disorderly conduct at a nightclub he refused to leave. Spencer, in his starting role, has nine tackles. Yep. Nine tackles. No sacks. This has to be one of those incredible talent scouting efforts from head coach Wade Phillips, because obviously he saw something in Spencer that we did not.
For one, he had 1.5 sacks last year, and just three in his rookie year. He had less tackles last season than he did in his rookie season. Why the Cowboys coaching staff thought he had the talent to step it up is beyond me. Ellis is a superior player, and he certainly helped DeMarcus Ware reach that 20-sack season.
Now Spencer and Ware are sackless.
So to whom do the Cowboys turn? Did anyone see rookie Victor Butler play against the Carolina Panthers? Here is a guy drafted in the fourth round and in his very first game he plowed over the offensive line to get two sacks late in the game. He also forced a fumble in the game.
The Cowboys need to put pressure on Spencer now, and bring Butler in immediately if he continues to struggle. This game against the 3-0 Denver Broncos is important for a number of reasons, but chiefly because the Cowboys need to win to stay in the NFC East race.
Don’t be surprised if Butler soon sends Spencer to the bench permanently.
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Wrong.
Incredible rebuttal, Colorblind.
I am right on so many fronts.
I watched a taped replay of the Panther game and watched the Dline play..I noticed every play Ware wasn’t in coverage, he was either doubled straight up or chipped by a back. Spencer in the same scenario was just one on one.
Ware got close nearly every pass play. Spencer was like he was going half speed.
Spencer is a spare and not a starter.
I wonder if the coaches thought Spencer was good enough that we didn’t need Ellis or if they were that tired of Ellis’ complaining. Either way the coaches believed Spencer could get it done. Maybe some competition from Butler will remind Spencer that he doesn’t get to stop working hard because Ellis is gone.
I think you still have to give the guy a fair shot. And I wouldn’t worry about how many tackles he has at this point. DeMarcus only has 12 tackles. Also, something is up with Ware. His first step is slow and he hesitates when he’s trying to put moves on the tackles. He’s certainly not in the same form he is last year.
After thinking about it more, I’m going to wait to jump on Butler’s bandwagon. Sure, he beat Jeff Otah twice and he’s going to put some heat on Spencer. It was also an obvious passing down, so Butler could really pin his ears back and get a good pass rush, so I’m going to take his performance, though great and game-changing, with a grain of salt. The coaches have to give Spencer some time to try and adjust to playing every down.
When did Spencer see his most time in years past? If I remember right, it was during passing downs last year. Anybody remember for sure?
It was during passing downs and he currently has four passes defended, but he’s just not looking good.
I’ll agree, he isn’t. I’m going to give him a little while longer to prove himself. Whether the coaching staff will be so patient is a different matter altogether.
i did notice something as well, that is in most means very logical. ware rushes mainly on blind side coverage, which the off. will always dictate the back to watch for the chip block just to give the qb peace of mind, if nothing else? i also noticed that in most situations the back will swing out to the qb’s right to give the outlet pass from his throwing side. spencer’s job on that side of the line is to check off on the back first before he goes in for blood. this is causing the “seemed” slowed hesitation on the cowboys. from ware too. ware has been in coverage situation aot this year too. you know what he best way to beat a strong pass rush is……? a short, “west coast” style dink and dunk to the backs and te’s. then you get the D to drop to the middle and flanks, then the wrs get open on single coverage. that is what offenses are doing to us because good offensive co-ords have studied film and know that is how you beat the dallas cowboy or any other 3-4 for that matter. it just plain out right can kill a pass rush. bill walsh was a genious when he developed it for that purpose.
if you guys remember ellis could’nt cover worth a hoot and even whined about it. and we got killed with it on several occasions (westbrook). thats the gamble with a pass rush. ellis’s bad covering skills forced the coaches to bring him every time. he knew this and just had to worry about pass rush. spencer on the other hand maybe one of our best cover lbs? and the coaches will now use him different? time will tell, but patient on our part we’ll have to be. i could give a shit how many sacks we have as long as we’re winning. sacks will play a huge part in it of course, but qb pressure can come in many forms that don’ t always show up in the stats
personally i think ware is a better overall well rounded lb then lawerence taylor was. nobody was as good as getting to the passer as was taylor(ware could be someday), but how many times did you hear how great he was in coverage. or how he ran a runner down from behind? not. ware is actually a great cover man and has had some interception opportunities in coverage? can anyone tell me who was the opposite side lb from taylor threw most of his career? if you remember the name, you’ll also remember that he was never considered a great pass rusher, but was infact a good solid all round even probowl LB. think of the name and you’ll see what i mean. BUT,…. this did take a couple of years to develop this tandem. it takes time. be patient, and in time i think we’ll have the same?
his number was 58 for all those die-hard old cowboy fans will remember……..ware/spencer remind me of this pair……
56/58
Watched Spencer on ever defensive play, thru two possessions he already has 3 pressures and a knockdown.