So a few clarifications... It all depends on who you talk to, people have different philosophies when it comes to what a cover 4 is. A Cover 4 may sound like a type of prevent defense to someone, or to someone else it's a more aggressive formation that allows for heavy box coverages like a cover 0. When we look at the core nature of the Cover 4 its a match defense that has 4 defensive backs in deep zones. Some use a 3-1-7. Landry used a 4-0-7. Which is 4 defensive linemen and 7 DBs. Bill Belichick used a 0-4-7. The cover 4 can adjust to a type of prevent formation or a cover 0. In the 80s, coaches often used the term 'prevent defense' interchangeably with any formation that had 7 defensive backs on the field with 4-man deep zones. Before Landry's 40 defense in the 80s, teams did blitz from passing formations like the nickel defense, but it was done sparingly. Landry was the first to use passing formations for his main blitzing defense. He was the precursor to a lot of modern blitzing styles that we see today from teams like the Dolphins' pressure dime defense. He's also a forerunner to a concept called 'simulated pressures'. This concept shows the threat of a blitz by surrounding the line of scrimmage with 5 or more defenders and disguising the rush, even though only 4 players are rushing. By crowding the line of scrimmage, the offensive line can't pinpoint who's coming. As you can tell in the video, Landry was doing this back in the early 80s or even as far back to the late 70s. The guy was a football genius. Sorry for the nerdy info, just wanted to clarify some things in the video.

Tom Landry was a football genius! 🏈🤠🏈

Im glad you are bringing this up for younger fans to see the evolution of the game.

A Genius of the game. Miss you Coach! DC4L!!

Coming up next week, we will be evaluating the psychology of a football monster: Cliff Harris! Enjoy the video, guys!

I've been saying this over and over The Logical Cowboy Best Dallas Cowboys KZfaq channel The Knowledge and History of our Dallas Cowboys on this channel is Second to None Impeccable Phenomenal Job by The Logical Cowboy

Tom Landry was more of a genius than I thought

Landry didn't just create the defense to deal with the spread formation or the West Coast offense he also created it to cover up some of the inadequacies the Cowboys were increasingly facing on the defensive side of the ball. The defensive backfield had good football smarts but they were increasingly too slow to keep up with the best receivers. Additionally the linebacker squad of the 80s was a real weak spot for the team as a number of young linebackers had their careers cut short by injury or simply didn't pan out as starting caliber prospects. Some of the veterans were starting to get long in the tooth or even chose to retire at the same time and the one truly solid linebacker Eugene Lockhart lacked the footspeed needed to cover running backs and tight ends for any appreciable period of time. So the alternative was to keep the opposing offense guessing and overload them with more players than they could block. For a below average or young QB the system was great and even for some QBs that were only average or just above average it was still a good system but for a QB like Marino who had the quickest release in the NFL or a guy like Montana that could make smart decisions under pressure it was a bad combination for Dallas. And honestly that's pretty well reflected in the 84 final regular season game where Marino beat them in the 4th quarter and in a game like the Bengals game in 85 where a Pro Bowler level talent like Boomer Esiason just absolutely torched them. In the end it all came back to the lack of incoming talent and the difficulty of getting young guys to adapt to the system quickly enough to become impact players. It's significant that when Jimmy took the team over and was able to start bringing in new blood his emphasis became one based around speed and the ability to get helmets to the football as fast as possible. Football smarts became a secondary choice for defensive players (I mean look at Leon Lett LOL) and speed and power became the primary weapons. Jimmy also had the luxury of stacking so much talent into the defense that he could rotate his DL guys and always have fresh rushers to put pressure on the QB. Jeffcoat became probably one of the best non starting defensive linemen in the game at that point as did Chad Henning (significantly both legacy players/draft picks from the Landry Era).

Thanks to You The Logical Cowboy Learned Alot about Tom Landry s Defense s for our Dallas Cowboys Learned alot More

Great work, another banger. I am not even a Cowboys fan. You have given me a whole new respect for Landry. The flex then this, what an innovator.

I had no idea 24 years top 10 in sacks. Much respect for Landry's innovation after the flex.

I really enjoy your videos. I've been a Cowboys fan since the days of Dandy Don. This video was especially interesting, I didn't remember the 40 Defense at all. Landry was so creative, in every aspect of the game. I remember the '85 game against the Bears, he didn't have an answer for their defense, which told me he'd lost his touch.

Those safety and corner bliltzes has knocked out more quarterbacks than any other defensive rush.

Great video analysis! Awesome. They couldn't stop Riggins with the Flex either. Dallas would have to adjust and put 4 men on the line in that 79 game. Yes Landry was a defensive genius.

Michael Downs is the most underrated safety in league history

Also in those 5 years you mentioned the 253 sacks, they had the severely shortened strike season of 1982 when there were only 9 games.

Great analysis of an evolving defense! Well made video!

As good as the defense was in the early 80's, eventually teams that the Cowboys would regularly beat figured it out and how to beat Dallas. For the 49ers, it was west coast offense with Joe Montana and after 1980, the Cowboys would not beat the 49ers until the 92 NFC Championship. The Rams got Eric Dickerson and the Cowboys wouldn't beat the Rams until the 1990 season. The Redskins had Joe Gibbs motion offense and running game. I can go on and on, but the teams involved and won like the 49ers, Redskins, and Giants while the Cowboys got old and didn't draft well to keep up.

Awesome video! Oh, Dean of Coaches. May He Rest in Peace.

Amazing Content The Logical Cowboy Learning More and More Landry s Philosophy on Defense

Quality material, very enjoyable!

Another Logical BANGER! 👏🏿

This is great content. I love the technical analysis

Another good one brother. Thanks

I LOVE WATCHIN STUFF LIKE THIS!! MR LANDRY HAD A BEAUTIFUL MIND, A GIFT and A CURSE

Great video stuff. Thanks.

Hey Logic! Your favorite former Skins fan here again. I swear, you keep knockin' it outta the park with your videos. I would imagine many people don't watch your videos because they don't like watching their rival teams. If you focus solely on the Cowboys, eventually you're going to run out of content. Your analysis of individual players and team strategies are superb. Have you ever thought about broadening your craft to players and teams other than the Cowboys? Doing so might translate into more $$$ for you. Just a thought.

Thank you for all your great videos

Please keep it coming

Great video!

Another great video explaining things I thought I knew but didn’t. Michael Downs was an excellent safety.

Great Video once again! It definitely was a high risk/high reward defense! Jerry Jones needs to be contacting you for some type of advisory position. Great job, once again!

LC your a genius. Nuff said

Love this content. We need to make a push to get Harvey Martin and Ed Jones in the HOF. I don't remember them being in and its a travesty if both are not. Those Steelers teams, their D line was no better than ours and they got in. That needs to be addressed

Very cool! Go Big D!

After this video I knew what game on KZfaq I wanted to watch next! Poor Rafael Septien. But at least the defense looked awesome!

Please do a story of the Giants defense designed by Landry

Great video, even better clarifications. As consistency of behavior reveals character, consistency of results reveals talent. Landry's results tell the tale. There must first be a need. The need is created by the opponent. After all, necessity is the mother of invention. Second, there has to be vision. Landry was a visionary. From his vision, he created a plan. To implement his plan, he needed personnel. After acquiring the personnel, he needed time. He needed time to teach/coach his personnel to execute his plan. It is impossible for me to believe that Landry didn't have a plan that would, once again, put Dallas on top for another decade. He had already gotten to the level of acquiring the personnel. I suspect all he needed was time. Unfortunately, Jones didn't give him time. Speaking of Jones, did I mention that results reveal talent? Top 10 for how long? How many playoff games prior to Jones vs. how many since? Hmm Once again, great job!

I missed most of that time period. Downs was particularly impressive to me.

I prefer the constant use of 4 DL for the same reason I believe in running the ball at least 55% of the time and that's pressure, constant pressure.

Not a Fan of the Cowboy's but this Man was from Mission, TX and used his talents to make the cowboys 'mericas Team.

1978, they hamstrung great cornerbacks. The Mel Blount rule.

Landry's 4-0 defense is what led to Sam Wyche's no-huddle offense in 1985. When the Bengals got the personnel match-up they wanted, the center put his hand on the ball, preventing substitutions, while the rest of the offense huddled. When the Cowboys were stuck with 7 DBs on the field, the Bengals ran the ball at them. The coup-de-grace was calling a draw to James Brooks right into the Cowboys' safety blitz: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/nrSDpdtondvdgZc.htmlsi=qeR8jISWy75LaqPV&t=1729 Funny thing is, three years earlier when Brooks was with the Chargers, he burned the Bengals with the exact same play: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/rdKeZ7eX3bi3f6c.htmlsi=0cx2OrwgqwPrxh9R&t=8666

So this was Dallas version of the 46 defense if only they had the offense to counter

A percuser to the 4 6!!!

Hey my friend, another fantastic video! This video, and your video about the flex defense have actually inspired me to, hopefully inspire you again. I have a topic request. I’m gonna have to explain a bit. First I’m going to talk about arguing for who is the greatest of all time, in any sport, in any position. Occasionally, there are folks who seem to be recognized by acclamation as the greatest ever. In my mind, in North American team sports, the only person that can definitively say that is Wayne Gretzky. In any other sport, I can’t say I believe there is one solid greatest player ever. Babe Ruth? Solid argument, but it was an all white major league then so how can we really know? Still, the man has a solid argument. Michael Jordan? Sure, very solid argument there. But what about the counter argument for LeBron, among others? Tom Brady? Hard to argue against him? But what I said above is particularly true in football, where different positions are so very different from each other and the impact of each position has to be tracked separately. So what I’m saying is I won’t claim that Jerry Rice is the greatest football player of all time. But I can make a very solid argument that he is. I won’t claim that Larry Allen is the greatest football player of all time, but I can make a very solid argument that he is. Does that make sense? OK here’s the next part of this. I recently saw a video titled I think it’s time to question Bill Belichick’s legacy. The guy started out the video by saying something like “Bill Belichick seems to be considered, by acclamation, the greatest coach in NFL history. I’m not saying it’s not true, what he has accomplished is stunning. But I think it’s worth looking at his entire career and assessing where he really ranks in the greatest of all time debate.“ I agree with all of that. I think that the six Super Bowls, the millions of division titles the constant playoff appearances are pretty hard to overlook. But I think that there are arguments to be made for other guys as being the greatest coach in NFL history. So by now, I think you probably know where I’m going with this. I am formally requesting that you make a video arguing for Tom Landry as the greatest coach in NFL history. I am not saying that he is the greatest coach in NFL history, but I believe there is a strong argument to be made. And if I am right about that, it is beyond any reasonable doubt that YOU are the person to make that argument. And what a great way to get ready for this current NFL season and to look back on the greatness of Tom Landry’s career? I can’t think of any.

I’ve always believed-despite his reticence to abandon the Flex-Landry’s biggest problem in the 80’s was the loss of talent. I think this may be seen in how he won his first 2 (of 3) games in the 1987 Season. When Dallas had the better talent the Cowboys looked dominant. As soon as that 3rd game came and the regulars began to return (though it was more the lack of continuity and facing one of the top 3 strike teams also spaced by the great Joe Gibbs that was most responsible) so did the mediocrity or worse.

Thurman's Thieves!

Good video but the Eagles didn’t use the 4-3 defense first. The Giants used it in the 50’s with Landry as their DC. It’s part of the reason why he was chosen to be the HC of Dallas.

Was the Bears ‘85 defense a direct descendant of this scheme?

It's almost like that defense forced the evolution of the spread offense or the offense that Detroit and Houston ran for years. (on a side note, Warren Moons son has a fishing channel on yt but quit posting a couple yrs ago. NP got me thinkin again.) Run and shoot.

@KingReggie_2 Here's a good defensive breakdown for you for your next Madden breakdown

Not the 60's, though. 60's belonged to Lombardi. Any arguement?

Unfortunately, 0 Super Bowls for the Cowboys in the 80's.

wasn't it sadly the same season for the Oiler game we lost by 40+ top the Bears while scoring a big 0? We kind of sucked that year and for a few after.

Chuck Noll crushed this defense.

Man, I forgot Terry Bradshaw used to call games while high on cocaine.

The DallasCowboys owner can buy as many Hollywood Princesses as his billions can get. No team no man no billionair can ever have a coach like Coach Landry. A team has to trust and respect their head coach. The NFL will never be as exciting entertaining and just plain fun as the 60's and 70's were.