The Dallas Cowboys’ defense was a middling bunch in 2011, finishing as the 14th ranked unit in the league, with an unnerving penchant for giving up leads in the lat stages of games--but DeMarcus Ware believes another year under Rob Ryan and a few new faces could turn the unit around in 2012.
Ware is particularly excited about the offseason additions of cornerbacks Brandon Carr (who came over in free agency from Kansas City, signing a five-year $50 million deal earlier in the year) and Morris Claiborne (who was selected with the sixth overall pick in last month’s draft), who together figure to provide an immediate and much needed upgrade in the secondary.
"Claiborne and Carr, those are really aggressive corners," Ware said, per the Dallas Morning News. "Our defense is aggressive, and that's what it's about, coming in and being able to stop the run first. We need corners that can come in and hit and also when it comes down to it, covering guys and giving the pass rush more time to get there. And they can do that."
Ware said that the blame for the defensive miscues of last season had to fall on the players, and not the fact that the lockout gave the team a very small window to learn incoming defensive coordinator Rob Ryan--but, he added, these miscues should be cleaned up next season.
"I think being a professional you never can put too much on a guy," Ware said. "It's your job to learn what you need to learn and excel at what he wants you to do. I would never tell Coach Rob that he's putting too much on a player because you can't.
"But I know that mistakes we did make are on tape now. And we can correct them in these OTAs and minicamps that we didn't have last year. We're going to be rolling, I can tell you that."
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