Tag: Demarcus Lawrence

Dennis Allen credits the run game for quieting Cowboys’ pass rush

Limiting Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence was pivotal. The Saints did it by running the football and avoiding must-pass situations:

Stopping Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence was a key to victory for the New Orleans Saints against the Dallas Cowboys. Their ability to rush the passer is the defense’s greatest strength, yet Derek Carr didn’t see much pressure on Sunday.

Taliese Fuaga and Trevor Penning did a good job winning that matchup in the pass and run game. Part of stopping the Cowboys unit was running the football. Dennis Allen looked at the diminished impact of Lawrence and Parsons and felt “part of it was we were able to run the football.”

Alvin Kamara caught a touchdown, but his 115 rushing yards were equally as effective in slowing down the pass rush.

“When you’re able to run the ball and you’re able to put yourself in manageable situations, you’re not having to get into a dropback passing mode where they can unleash their pass rush,”  Allen explained.

That’s exactly what they did. The Saints only faced third down on eight occasions in this game. Just four of them were longer than 4 yards. One was a kneel-down and another was when the Saints were running out the clock and keeping the ball on the ground.

This means New Orleans only faced two third downs of more than 4 yards. The Saints were rarely in must-pass situations, and it kept the Cowboys’ best assets from getting active.

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Are Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence playing today? Cowboys DEs transparent vs Saints

The Dynamic Duo has been anything but as the Cowboys’ defense is getting embarrassed in Week 2. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The New Orleans Saints effectively muted the Cowboys’ two biggest defenders. Fantasy football owners who are used to getting a ton of scoring from the opportunistic Dallas defense are certainly scratching their heads through three quarters of action. Dallas was dominant in their Week 1 win over the Cleveland Browns, but things have changed in Week 2.

Derek Carr and the New Orleans Saints have scored touchdowns on all six of their possessions so far, and the names of the two biggest Cowboys disruptors, Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence, have rarely been called.

Parsons has a lonely two tackles and Lawerence has been shut out of the box score as the fourth quarter begins. Neither has sniffed Carr much in the pocket, after being one and two in the league in QB pressures last week.

Even without the pressures, one would hope the other part of the game, the run defense could help. That’s normally Lawrence’s calling card, but run after run, the Saints have been able to find the edges.

IDP fantasy players have to be scratching their heads at this point.

Dallas trails 41-19 to start the fourth quarter.

Taliese Fuaga will play vs. Cowboys in Week 2

Taliese Fuaga continued to deal with back tightness throughout the week. After testing it out pregame, the rookie will play in Saints vs. Cowboys:

Taliese Fuaga played every snap in the New Orleans Saints’ season opener with the Carolina Panthers, and they’ll have in the lineup again for Sunday’s Week 2 game against the Dallas Cowboys. Fuaga was a limited participant during the first day of practice this week and it was the last time he practiced at all. He was out the ensuing two days and listed was seen as a game-time decision.

Fuaga is dealing with back tightness similar to what he managing during training camp. Saints head coach Dennis Allen doesn’t believe the injury is a major issue, and Fuaga was cleared to play after testing out his back before the game.

With Micah Parsons playing host, Trevor Penning will have to be on top of things Sunday. Parsons likes to rush against the right tackle but he’ll get reps against Fuaga, too. Penning may get the brunt of the high-profile matchup, but Fuaga doesn’t have it easy. Parsons is a dynamic pass rusher, and the rookie will still have to deal with Parsons at times. Even when Parsons is in front of Penning, DeMarcus Lawrence is a formidable threat.

Lawrence is a strong run defender who can derail the Saints’ main objective to dominate the run game. The Saints offensive tackles will have their hands full on both sides.

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Landon Young on the key to stopping Micah Parsons

How do you stop Micah Parsons? Landon Young is looking for the answer through studying Parsons’ tendencies

The New Orleans Saints have to deal with one of the NFL’s premier pass rushers, Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons, this week.

Parsons had 13 sacks as a rookie and has added an extra half sack to his season total the following two years. He’s finished top-three in the Defensive Player of the Year each season as well.

With Taliese Fuaga’s back injury, slowing down Parsons may come down to Landon Young and Trevor Penning.

It’s difficult to say something about Parsons that hasn’t already been said, so Young kept it simple. He says Parsons “has all the attributes as what you want as a pass rusher.”

Young sees film study as the most important aspects as he tries to mitigate Parsons’ impact on the game. Young is looking for how Parsons’ varies his approach on a down by down basis. Knowing what he likes to do will help Young anticipate it and hopefully be prepared.

Parsons clearly has the advantage in the matchup, and Young has to look for any advantage, and those advantages must come from exploiting tendencies. Penning should be doing the same.

Dennis Allen leaves the door open for Taliese Fuaga to play vs. Cowboys

Taliese Fuaga has missed the last two days of practice, but Dennis Allen is leaving the door open for the rookie to play against the Cowboys:

https://twitter.com/miketriplett/status/1834660609998090676?s=46&t=_U0UBmCWxF2s5xLnGQ2rFQ

After Friday’s practice, Dennis Allen discussed the Taliese Fuaga injury with the media, and he doesn’t seem worried about this being a long term ailment. Fuaga missed the last two days of practice after being limited on Wednesday.

Allen said Fuaga’s injury as “a little back tightness.” Allen also described it as “not a whole lot different than what Fuaga dealt with in training camp.” He emphasized that he feels good about where Fuaga is at. The rookie was phenomenal in his first career start last week against the Carolina Panthers, even if this back tightness is nagging him.

The Saints face the Dallas Cowboys this Sunday and will have to deal with the duo of DeMarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons. This isn’t a game you want to go into down any offensive linemen, especially not a left tackle.

Allen may not characterize this as a major injury, but that is not a statement Fuaga will play. The team still has to evaluate him over the next couple of days. This is an indication Fuaga’s absence isn’t purely precautionary.

Allen called the decision on whether to play a player who hasn’t had the opportunity to practice a “challenge.” Fuaga’s uncommon maturity as a young player, however, makes it an easier decision. If Fuaga can play, he will go despite not practicing much. This should be expected to be a game-time decision.

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How Taliese Fuaga’s potential absence could impact Week 2

Taliese Fuaga was a DNP on Thursday. His absence would put the Saints in a bad spot against Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence:

Taliese Fuaga was downgraded on the New Orleans Saints injury report. The rookie left tackle was a limited participant at Wednesday’s practice due to a back injury, which led to him missing practice entirely on Thursday. Fuaga didn’t miss a snap while playing very well in Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers so it’s tough to say how serious this injury may be.

It’s too soon to project whether or not Fuaga will miss the Saints’ contest with the Dallas Cowboys, but it isn’t too soon to look at the implications of his absence.

Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence are two really good defensive ends. One of them will be in front of the left tackle. Running Trevor Penning and Landon Young out there to stop this duo doesn’t inspire confidence.

Lawrence is a strong run defender who offers a pass-rush element. That isn’t the prototype that gets the discussions flowing, but it certainly can disrupt a game. Meanwhile, Parsons is on the short list of the best pure pass rushers and most dynamic defenders in the NFL.

Fuaga dealt with back tightness in the preseason. We viewed how important his presence was at that time and this is the type of game we were worried about. This was before he turned offseason hype into a strong debut. Even in the preseason, it was clear he would be a valuable asset on the left side of the offensive line. Stay tuned for Friday’s final injury report and and update on his status for this Cowboys game.

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Saints vs. Cowboys features 3 of the NFL’s top 5 sacks leaders

The Saints offensive line has to be ready for a Cowboys defense who had two players register multiple sacks in Week 1, plus Micah Parsons:

You may see the quarterback on the ground quite a bit when the New Orleans Saints travel to Arlington, Texas to take on the Dallas Cowboys. This showdown features three players who registered multiple sacks in Week 1.

There’s good and bad news on this front.

The good news is the Saints have the player with the most. Alontae Taylor leads the league in sacks with three from Week 1. The bad news is the Cowboys have the other two players. It gets even worse when you realize neither of those two players are Micah Parsons. DeMarcus Lawrence and Eric Kendricks notched two sacks on Sunday.

Kendricks is a linebacker, so, like Taylor, he rushes the passer on blitzes. Expect Mike Zimmer to call Kendricks’ name a couple times on Sunday. Unfortunately for the Saints, Taylor’s blitzing will likely be minimal because of the Cowboys receiving corps

Two players who registered multiple sacks and a two-time All-Pro? That’s a scary sight for an offensive line still looking to prove themselves. It’s important for the Saints’ defensive line to register pressure of their own. The story of Week 2 could easily be told in the trenches.

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Cowboys’ Parsons, Lawrence continue troubling identity, still leaving meat on the bone

DeMarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons had great games in the Cowboys opener, but they could have been better, and that’s a trend. | From @ReidHanson

Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence combined for a stellar day against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday afternoon. The Cowboys top pass-rushing pair combined for 18 pressures and three sacks, en route to a dominant defensive win to open the 2024 season.

And it could have been so much better.

For as good as Parsons and Lawrence played in Cleveland, they left opportunities on the field. As the infamous Jospeh Randle once said of DeMarco Murray’s NFL-best 1,845 rushing yards, “there was a lot of meat left on the bone.”

Randle saw first-hand the greatness of Murray’s career season in 2014 but very bluntly stated it could have been even better. It’s a very similar situation facing Parsons and Lawrence this week. Both players enjoyed spectacular days in Cleveland but both players also left plays on the field.

On two occasions Lawrence had Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson within his grasp and both times Watsons escaped, unsacked. On two occasions Parsons had Watson within his grasp and both times Watsons escaped, unsacked. On all four plays the pass rusher had two hands on the QB and inexplicably failed to complete the sack.

The failure to capitalize on a situation such as this is nothing new for the Cowboys. Last season Dallas led the league in pressure rate yet only finished 14th in actual sacks. It’s a three-year trend that can now be described as an identity.

Many will point to the pressures Lawrence and Parsons are getting as successes onto themselves, and they’re somewhat correct in thinking that. Pressures can lead to rushed decisions, poor passes, incompletions and even interceptions. They have significant value, just not close to the value of an actual sack.

Based on a 12-year study, the average sack is valued at -1.856 expected points for the offense whereas a simple pressure is just -0.074 expected points. To anyone who isn’t overly familiar with EPA, that’s an enormous difference.

For as nice as all the pressures are each week, it would make sense to for the Cowboys to focus more on completion of the play. It might cause them to slow down a fraction of a second, but the results would be worth it. Again, a sack results in an EPA impact that’s 25 times that of a simple pressure.  It’s worth losing out on a pressure or two each week if it better positions the pass rusher to complete the play.

At this point it seems to be in the DNA of the team so it’s not an overnight fix, but it’s something to acknowledge, something to discuss, and hopefully something to work on going forward.

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Parsons, Lawrence eyeing ideal situation as Cowboys look to start quick in Cleveland

Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence face a exploitable matchups when they visit the Browns to start the 2024 season on Sunday. | From @ReidDHanson

When Mike Zimmer joined Dallas this offseason to take over defensive playcalling, he spoke of moving Micah Parsons around and creating mismatches and opportunities for his young All-Pro. All too often under the last regime Parsons was schemed against, double and even triple teamed. No more, implied Zimmer.

The news was music to many Cowboys’ fans ears and a sign Parsons would be more of a factor in critical situations down the stretch. but that may all have to wait until Week 2.

The Browns, Dallas’ Week 1 opponent, have been unsettled at their tackle positions. Cleveland announced Jedrick Wills, former No. 10 pick and starting left tackle since 2020, will not be the starting tackle this week against the Cowboys. Instead, Jack Conklin will get the start.

https://twitter.com/ceasterlingABJ/status/1831377471121559745?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1831377928728256968%7Ctwgr%5Eabd0daca4e9bb48398d776ae4f1a57d91d2be863%7Ctwcon%5Es3_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbrownswire.usatoday.com%2F2024%2F09%2F04%2Fbrowns-plan-at-offensive-tackle-becomes-clearer-more-complicated%2F

Conklin, a career RT, hasn’t played LT since college. The 30-year-old has an All-Pro resume working in his favor but faces a tough draw going up against Parsons in Week 1. For as nice as it would be to move Parsons around all afternoon, the best opportunities may come rushing from the right side and testing the Browns temporary Band-aid at LT. Even if Wills rotates in the game at LT like Cleveland has suggested, Parsons may still want to test the waters of the rehabbing OT.

The task at right tackle now falls on second-year pro Dawand Jones. Jones took 710 snaps at RT during his rookie season. The former Buckeye struggled particularly in the run game; an area in which DeMarcus Lawrence thrives that could lend itself to advantageous matchups for both Cowboys edges.

Both of Cleveland’s starting OTs are flawed enough to be exploitable, Jones for his inexperience in the NFL and Conklin for his unfamiliarity with the position. It potentially sets the stage for an ideal Week 1 matchup for the Cowboys top two pass rushers.

While everyone is talking about the Myles Garrett and Tyler Guyton battle, the real impact on the edge could come at the hands of the Cowboys defense.

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‘Are you stupid??’ Cowboys star got early-career wakeup call after going broke

NFL careers go by quickly and young players should heed this cautionary tale which won’t work out for everyone the way it did for Lawrence. | From @KDDrummondNFL

It’s often joked how the NFL stands for “Not For Long”, but for many players it’s no laughing matter. In the blink of an eye, childhood dreams can go up in smoke, whether it be from injury, not working hard or simply not being good enough. The average NFL career is three years, meaning for every player who lasts 9 years in the league, there’s three more that never last beyond that first season.

Just think of all of the hopefuls that were released last week from their teams but weren’t added to any club’s practice squad. Their careers are over. Even still, the players that do make it in the league, whether role players or stars, can often find themselves overwhelmed by the financial side of things. Even for high-pedigree draft picks, managing the money they get during their careers in order to last them a lifetime is hardly as easy as it seems in the eyes of fans who only dream of that level of salary.

For the Dallas Cowboys’ DeMarcus Lawrence, he recently admitted that he was one of those who squandered the majority of his rookie contract, but fortunately he wisened up with the help of his dad.

Speaking to the Level Up Lifestyle Podcast, Lawrence recounted the story of his accountant calling him after his third season, telling him his bank account was in the negative.

The end of my third year, I go completely broke. I get that phone call from my accountant, and he’s like ‘Hey man, you don’t have no more money in your account.’ I’m like ‘What do you mean no more, you mean like zero dollars? What are you saying?’ And he’s like ‘I mean like negative $100.’

Lawrence explained how shortly after his dad called looking for assistance and he had to tell him,

Dad, my accountant just told me I have zero dollars.’ He was like, ‘Huh? What’s going on?… Are you stupid?’

And Lawrence said he asked himself and that the comment really struck his soul, inspiring him to get his act together and better manage his finances.

Lawrence, who suffered a foot injury that derailed his rookie campaign, broke out in Year 2 with 8 sacks, but then suffered a four-game suspension to start the 2016 season and only received 13 of his 17 game checks. His season ended early when he succumbed to a back injury, playing in just nine games.

Lawrence’s rookie contract was for a total of $5.5 million and included a $2.3 million signing bonus and base salaries of $420,000, $670,000 and $703,000 across those first three seasons.

It was all gone. NFL players only get paid during the regular season. They don’t get paid between January and July when they get paid out-of-contract stipends for training camp. Lawrence made $1.17 million his fourth year, a breakout campaign where he notched 14.5 sacks, made the Pro Bowl and ended up fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

The Cowboys didn’t immediately reward him with a new contract though. They placed the franchise tag on him and while it was for a whopping $17 million, there’s no bonus attached to that.

Lawrence was fortunate he had the talent to overcome his early financial mistakes. Now entering his 11th season, he’s made over $117 million across his career. Having the physical ability to make it to the NFL is a tremendous blessing, but it takes a ton of work to maintain a place, even more to become a star. And hopefully those who get the opportunity hear stories like this to let them know they need to be as responsible with their money as they are with their bodies.

h/t Brandon Loree for the find.