Praise for Cowboys Tyrone Crawford comes from unlikely source

After a season of unmet expectations for the Dallas Cowboys, an unlikely source steps up in defensive of defensive tackle Tyrone Crawford.

After signing a five-year, $45 million extension with the Dallas Cowboys just prior to the start of the season, many expected a breakout year for defensive tackle Tyrone Crawford. As the linchpin to coordinator Rod Marinelli’s defensive scheme, getting Crawford under contract was a priority for Dallas. But after 11 games, the 26-year old has yet to live up to those lofty expectations and price tag.

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So far this season, while struggling with a reported shoulder injury, Crawford has recorded 23 tackles and 4.0 sacks. He is also the Cowboys current leader in quarterback hurries with 24. But that doesn’t stand out as much on a Dallas defense that ranks 25th in total sacks and dead last in takeaways.

Although Crawford isn’t responsible for all of the defense’s problems this season, his new contract extension places a firm target on his back. Pro Football Focus currently ranks him as the 36th best overall defensive/nose tackle in the league. But Crawford’s pass rush score of +9.2 makes him the eighth best pass rusher at his position in the league. It’s his poor run defense that places him near the bottom of the rankings.

Obviously, as the Cowboys three-technique defensive tackle in Marinelli’s Tampa 2, Cover 2 defensive scheme, Crawford’s job is to get pressure on the pocket, not necessarily stop opposing running backs. And his pass rushing grade show he’s been doing his job. Crawford just doesn’t seem to be getting home enough.

But praise for the Cowboys young defensive tackle and a message of patience is coming from an unlikely source: a member of the Washington Redskins, Dallas’ opponent Monday night.

"“[Crawford] still has a lot of potential, still hasn’t tapped into it yet,” Redskins defensive tackle Jason Hatcher told ESPN.com last week. “He hasn’t really scratched the surface of what type of player he can be. Once he can get his confidence on the field, I see times that he’s just not really sure, not really sure … it takes time with a young guy like him. That takes reps. Once he gets it figured out, he’s going to be a hell of a player.”"

Hatcher knows what he is talking about when referring to delayed potential. A third round pick by the Cowboys back in 2006, the now 33-year old underwhelmed in Dallas for seven years before posting his first and only Pro Bowl season in 2013. That year, Hatcher recorded a career-high 11.0 sacks and 41 total tackles. He abruptly left the Cowboys at season’s end to cash in with the Redskins to the tune of $27.5 million over the next four years.

A former teammate of Crawford, Hatcher has always been confident in the young player’s abilities.  And the Cowboys echoed that confidence when they signed Tyrone to a massive contract extension earlier this season, keeping him in Dallas until 2021.

Crawford was drafted by the Cowboys in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft out of Boise State. After a slow-starting rookie year, a devastating knee injury cost him his entire season in 2013. Crawford bounced back last year after making the switch from defensive end to  defensive tackle. After a bit of a breakout season in 2014, recording 33 tackles, 25 quarterback hurries, 12 QB hits and 3.0 sacks, many believed the young player would take the next step in his development this year. Maybe his shoulder injury is hindering him more than he or the Cowboys would like to admit.

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Whether it be due to injury or his mental game, it appears Crawford main obstacle is himself, as the effort has certainly been there game-in and game-out this season. According to the veteran Hatcher, it’s just a matter of time before the young defender turns the corner. Let’s hope it takes Crawford a lot less time to figure things out than it did for Hatcher in Dallas.

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