Julius Peppers To the Dallas Cowboys: Six Reasons Why It Won’t Happen

March 2, 2010   ·   Jonathan Bales   ·   Jump to comments

1.  The emergence of Anthony Spencer
Anthony Spencer’s play in 2009 was undoubtedly the number one reason Dallas was able to maintain the second-ranked defense in the league.  His seven sacks do not do him justice, as he was creating havoc in the backfield from week one.  Once the first sack came, the rest followed in bunches.
Perhaps just as important as sacks is quarterback hits.  According to ProFootballFocus.com, Spencer was first among all linebackers in quarterback hits with 26.  In comparison, Demarcus Ware was second with just 17.  Statistically, Spencer got in position to obtain many more sacks than he did.  Expect his sack total to possibly double in 2010.
Further, Spencer is perhaps the best outside linebacker in the league versus the run.  He led all 3-4 outside linebackers in tackles with 56.  Spencer’s ability to stop the run goes unappreciated by most of those analyzing his success in 2009, but it is nearly as important as his sacks....

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