Trade Ware and switch to 4-3 Defense?

 The more I think about it, the more I think I would try to pull this off to improve the team for the 2012 season.
 That's right, I would really consider trading All-Pro OLB DeMarcus Ware.
 Think about it. Switch back to a 4-3 Defense. Fire Rob Ryan. Hire Steve Spagnoulo.The Cowboys have the DE's. Marcus Spears on one side, Anthony Spencer on the other (he played DE at Purdue, and could easily put on 15-20 pounds in the off-season to make the switch). Jay Ratliff at one DT position. A rookie to be drafted at the other (or Josh Brent, or Sean Lissemore). Bradie James could still play the MLB position, Sean Lee and Bruce Carter could man the OLB positions. The Cowboys still have 2 decent CB's in Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick, and one more would be drafted early, and another CB signed in Free Agency. Gerald Sensabaugh would play Free Safety, and the trade of Ware would create the cap space to go after SS LaRon Landry.

 For example, Dallas trades DeMarcus Ware and Dallas' 2013 2nd round pick to the Buffalo Bills for Buffalo's 2012 1st and 2nd round picks, and Buffalos' 2013 1st round pick.

 Then Dallas drafts the following in 2012.

Round 1, pick #10 (from Buffalo) - Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama.

Round 1 pick #14 David DeCastro,OG, Stanford

Round 2 pick #41 (from Buffalo) Chase Minnifield, CB, Virginia

Round 2 pick #45 Jared Crick, DT/DE, Nebraska

Round 3 pick #82 Marcus Forston, DT, Miami(FL)

Round 4 pick #113 Mike Martin,DT, Michigan



THERE! Defense fixed, Offensive line fixed, Cowboys Super-Bowl contender in 2012!

Comments?

OOPS, Round 3 pick #82 should have been Tank Carder,ILB, TCU.

My bad.

DN, I would say no to trading Ware at this point.  Heres why:

First, If you dont get a top 5-10 overall pick, then you are not going to get a right now instant impact player (then the word REBUILDING comes to play)

Second, say you get the first overall pick for Ware. Ware is a proven STUD. Does anybody truely know what they are getting in a draft pick.



I do like how you've got the team looking after that.  I would personally take the money saved from Ware and sign a CB like Finnagin from the Titans. Then let Mike Jenkins fight it out for the #2. I'd keep the LB's as Lee James, and Spencer. That is assuming that they all get brought back. Then the DL is a mess. Jay Ratliff would play DT, and Marcus Spears would play DE. in the draft, I would look strongly at Poe and Nick Perry.  That is assuming we traded Ware in your senerio.

With that you hope to get TWO OL in the second round to add quality depth to the line.  So if you were to trade Ware, I would hope you would get the other team's right arm, right leg and kitchen sink. 

Just my opinion. 

I actually had close to the same thought, but not trade DeMarcus Ware. Put Ware and Spencer at DE's, Ratliff and Spears at DT's. James, Lee and Carter at LB's, and work on the secondary. It's not like we have bad defensive players, just not the right ones for the 3-4 setup.

Correction: We do have a bad secondary, the rest are OK.

Delirious,

It's radical, but I like your thinking.  I actually mentioned the possibility of trading Ware in another thread since his value is high right now.  I LIKE that draft that you just proposed...I don't think Crick will be there at 45 but if he is, we would hit a slam dunk.

BTW,  you are assuming the rookie draft will come in and play lights out right away, unfortunately, it will take them time to adjust to the NFL.  So, no it would not be Superbowl contender 2012, but maybe in 2014.

I'd take 11 solid players over 1 superstar any day.

 Budlee,

 In my scenario, the Cowboys WOULD be geting a top 5-10 pick from the Buffalo Bills, since they are picking at #10 of the 1st round in the 2012 NFL Draft.

 I realize it is never popular and goes against conventional thinking to trade a teams' best player, however doing just that is what brought 3 Lombardi trophies to Valley Ranch in the 90's. Remember the Hershel Walker trade in 1989? Hershel Walker was by far the Cowboys' best player at the time, as DeMarcus Ware is now. I also realize that it takes two to tango, so actually finding a team that would be willing to make the deal could be difficult, though when I look at the Buffalo Bills I see a team that would possibly do the trade. Why? Well, they are a 3-4 Defense that has some talented young players on the defensive line and the secondary (actually seem to have better personnel to run the 3-4 Defense than the Cowboys), but what the Buffalo Bills sorely lack is an impact pass rusher. DeMarcus Ware is the best 3-4 OLB in the NFL, and would be a perfect fit for the Bills. 
 I see another reason why the Buffalo front office would possibly agree to this trade as well. The Bills are coming off many losing seasons, and adding a player like DeMarcus Ware to that team would not only excite and energize the Buffalo fan base, but would also bring a plethora of media attention to that team.
 From a personnel standpoint, this trade would make sense for both franchises, as long as the Cowboys would switch back to a 4-3 Defense.

 Speaking of a 4-3, I just think that overall it is a better and more consistent defense to play. The argument for the 3-4 is that opposing teams never know 'where the pressure is coming from'. well, in the Cowboys' case, opposing teams knew damn well the pressure wasn't coming from their 3 defensive linemen. With a 4-3, pressure comes from the front 4, which with Ratliff and some rookies would create more pressure than the 3-4 has the last few years and not leave the DB's hanging out to dry.

 Now look at our LB's. NONE of them played in a 3-4 in college. Brady James can still play very well as a MLB in a 4-3. Sean Lee would be even a bigger stud in a 4-3, and almost all reviews I read about the Cowboys selecting LB Bruce Carter in round 2 last year said that he is a poor fit for a 3-4 defense- but would be a great fit as a weak-side OLB in a 4-3.

 If Buffalo would bite, I would do the trade and bring in a 4-3 defensive coordinator that would have a simpler 4-3 scheme where the players would KNOW their assignments when they lined up and not be looking around with their arms up in the air, confused as an amnesiac on Jeopardy!

 The draft could then also look like this: (Cowboys sign SS LaRon Landry and DE/DT Kendall Langford in Free Agency)

 Round One, pick #10 (from Buffalo) Devon Still, DE/DT, Penn State

 Round One, pick #14 David DeCastro, OG, Stanford

 Round Two, pick #41 (from Buffalo) Chase Minnifield,CB, Virginia

 Round Two, pick #45 Stephon Gilmore,CB, South Carolina

 Round Three, pick #82 Tank Carder, ILB, TCU

 Round Four, pick #113 Russell Wilson, QB, Wisconsin



 Better??

No way would I trade DeMarcus Ware -- you're just not going to get equal value in return. As much as I'd love adding draft picks, they're still a crap-shoot.  Beyond that, I don't believe in trading away blue-chip talent -- you build around guys like that, not deal them away.

Not sure I'd entirely scrap the 3-4 defense -- the 3-4 tends to be a bit more versatile against the pass, and the league is definitely a passing league now. But I wouldn't mind seeing us run a 4-3 at times.

Another thing I was thinking of was Philly's Wide 9. Could you imagine letting Ware and Spencer line up extra wide on passing downs and not worry about the run at all?  Reason why Philly had isome problems with it is because their LBs stink on ice; if we occasionally used a Wide 9 (with Ware and Spencer at ends, Ratliff and Hatcher at the tackles), we'd still have Bradie James at MLB and Sean Lee with Bruce Carter outside. Hell, even if James is gone we could put Lee in middle with Carter and Victor Butler outside.

You don't get tired of watching Ware's speed rush and then somebody is off to the races or the QB just steps up through the gaping hole he just left?  If he had a bull rush to mix it up, I'd like him better. 

This message has been removed by the administrator.

You don't get tired of watching Ware's speed rush and then somebody is off to the races or the QB just steps up through the gaping hole he just left?  If he had a bull rush to mix it up, I'd like him better. 

Your statement is an argument that Ware needs help... he can't do it alone.  I've seen him bull rush but it takes longer to set that up and you can't always use that.  If the other players or at least the other outside linebacker could get some push maybe the QB wouldn't have a big gapping hole to run through. 

... besides, Trent Cole and Jason Babin are shorter than Ware and about the same weight.  Ware could play DE in a 4-3.

Your statement is an argument that Ware needs help... he can't do it alone.

No kidding he needs help.  Why would I be OK to trade the guy unless he needs a LOT of help?   The whole defense needs revamped and they won't be able to do it through a normal draft and FA.  You have an aging core on offense and your window of opportunity is closing.

the Raiders gave up a 1st and a 2nd for Richard Seymore, so getting two 1st's for DeMarcus Ware isn't out of the question.

However, i really don't see the Cowboys making this move.

Laurent Robinson might be able to fetch a decent draft pick.

Holy crap.  I'd offer two firsts for Ware in a heartbeat.  He's a top-10 all-NFL defensive player.  I don't think things are so bad for the Cowboys that they need to consider blowing up the team by trading their best player.  They're a #1CB and a bit of health away from being a SB contender next year, so just try to sign Carlos Rogers away from SF and gear up for next year.

For two firsts and a second I guess you'd maybe have to do it.  I might even offer it if I were Lions' GM.  Or Belicheck even though he doesn't historically trade away high picks.  Or any of half a dozen of the top-12 teams.

As Irsay I wouln't trade away Luck for him, though. 

Personally I like a 3-4 defense better than a 4-3 defense, so I wouldn't make the trade.

Laurent Robinson might be able to fetch a decent draft pick.

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Laurent Robinson is a free agent. 

Delirious............as much as i would love to see us go back to the 4-3...there is no way we trade ware.....we always had our best defenses when we were in the 4-3....i have never een a big proponet of the 3-4.....