The Dallas Cowboys have engineered two gigantic moves in a new direction in terms of their roster priorities ... and eventually, their salary cap priorities.
The moves?
Drafting Tyler Smith in the first round in 2022.
And drafting Tyler Booker in the first round in 2025.
The reasoning? In a way ... to "stop the lies.''
If the double A-gap mug was a poker bluff, then simulated pressure is a con game. Picture a magician waving one hand while the other steals your watch — that’s what defensive coordinators are doing now.
Simulated pressures take the chaos of the A-gap mug and spread it across the field. For instance: safeties and corners creep towards the line of scrimmage pre-snap or, multiple defensive linemen stand up (and sometimes stack) in the same 1-2 gaps pre-snap.
But then after the snap? All bets are off.
Maybe only four defenders rush. But they’re not the four you expected. In this case defensive coordinators can still allocate seven men in coverage on obvious passing downs but create pressure by confusing the offensive line and forcing them to miscommunicate.
That’s the beauty — and the nightmare — of simulated pressure. It’s a disguise. You don’t know who’s coming, who’s dropping, or where the threat is really coming from until it’s too late. And it forces your center and guards to make lightning-fast decisions without any margin for error.
This is no longer just about stopping edge rushers. It’s about predicting and stopping lies.
"It's extremely important that we all rise to the occasion," Smith said. "As everybody can see, this is an extremely competitive division with great offensive and defensive lines. We understand that. … I think it's gonna start and end with us when it comes to the success of this football team."
And it’s why the Cowboys couldn't keep viewing guard play as an afterthought. When the defense sends blitzers from the slot or a disguised nickel safety crashes through the B-gap, your interior must be airtight — or your quarterback’s reading the play after he spits out a few unexpected turf pellets.
Simulated pressure is the second culprit in the NFL’s trench evolution. It's knocking on everyone's door and the Cowboys are attempting to answer it with authority. ...
The authority that comes with Smith being a 6-5, 330-pound All-Pro who will soon make over $20 million per year as a left guard ... and the authority that comes with the 6-5, 320-pound rookie Booker rolling into town to be the right guard with a similar financial future.