A Deep Look into Tom Landry's 40 Defense of the 80s!

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  • Опубліковано 3 січ 2025

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  • @thelogicalcowboy
    @thelogicalcowboy  Рік тому +26

    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.

    • @majortom8513
      @majortom8513 Рік тому +2

      I loved and hated this prevent defense... lol

    • @thelogicalcowboy
      @thelogicalcowboy  Рік тому +1

      ​@@majortom8513
      I can understand! Lol

    • @thekid6378
      @thekid6378 11 місяців тому +1

      Your site is amazing and very informative! Very educational! I subscribed just a little while ago

    • @thelogicalcowboy
      @thelogicalcowboy  11 місяців тому +1

      @thekid6378
      Thanks bro!! Welcome to the channel!

  • @paulhudson4254
    @paulhudson4254 Рік тому +19

    Tom Landry was a football genius! 🏈🤠🏈

  • @agg1172
    @agg1172 Рік тому +7

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

  • @thelogicalcowboy
    @thelogicalcowboy  Рік тому +15

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

    • @Longhorn.Rock_Roll61
      @Longhorn.Rock_Roll61 Рік тому +1

      Captain Crash is what they called him lol . Landry and Lombard were coaching together way back in ,57 of Course Laundry himself played defense back for the Giants so Defense was in his blood no doubt about it when he first started coaching the Cowboys he was the head Coach and he Defensive coordinator so he pretty much was a defensive genius usually when they blew those early Super bowl s and playoff games it usually wasn't the defense except maybe the ice bowl but if your linebacker wins the MVP in the Super bowl and you loose the defense was ready to play

    • @thelogicalcowboy
      @thelogicalcowboy  Рік тому +2

      @@Longhorn.Rock_Roll61
      Good post!

  • @infinity818425
    @infinity818425 Рік тому +11

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

  • @zacdorsey1906
    @zacdorsey1906 Рік тому +8

    Tom Landry was more of a genius than I thought

  • @chrisgonz9963
    @chrisgonz9963 Рік тому +5

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

  • @chrisgonz9963
    @chrisgonz9963 Рік тому +3

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

  • @ashleighelizabeth5916
    @ashleighelizabeth5916 Рік тому +12

    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).

    • @thelogicalcowboy
      @thelogicalcowboy  Рік тому +1

      Your post are always informative.

    • @yeildo1492
      @yeildo1492 Рік тому

      (I mean look at Leon Lett LOL)
      Funniest line I have read on the internet in a while 🤣🤣🤣

    • @ashleighelizabeth5916
      @ashleighelizabeth5916 Рік тому

      @@yeildo1492 I know it sounds disrespectful but that guy had so many boneheaded plays and despite that he was one of the most talented DTs of the JJ Era.

    • @yeildo1492
      @yeildo1492 Рік тому

      @@ashleighelizabeth5916 I know who Leon was. So do Steve Tasker and the Dolphins.

    • @ashleighelizabeth5916
      @ashleighelizabeth5916 Рік тому +1

      @@yeildo1492 yeah I think none of us will ever forget THAT fiasco. I was watching some old game footage of Dallas in the playoffs during that era and OMG but just about every game I saw him in he pulled some boneheaded move that kept a drive alive or gave the other team a second chance to keep the drive alive. Don't get me wrong he killed plenty of drives too with his talent but man he must have driven Jimmy Johnson nuts with that stuff!

  • @notmarealnameboi
    @notmarealnameboi 11 місяців тому +1

    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.

  • @RandyLea
    @RandyLea Рік тому +3

    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.

    • @thelogicalcowboy
      @thelogicalcowboy  Рік тому

      Thanks for watching 🙏! Yeah that bears game was brutal!

  • @bornabigail9644
    @bornabigail9644 11 місяців тому +1

    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

  • @indianasunsets5738
    @indianasunsets5738 Рік тому +2

    Great analysis of an evolving defense! Well made video!

  • @SImSZN
    @SImSZN Рік тому +1

    Another Logical BANGER! 👏🏿

  • @colinhiggins4779
    @colinhiggins4779 Рік тому +1

    This is great content. I love the technical analysis

  • @chuck7978
    @chuck7978 Рік тому +2

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

  • @gmiller1524
    @gmiller1524 Рік тому +1

    Quality material, very enjoyable!

  • @N.a.j.i.
    @N.a.j.i. Рік тому

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

  • @howardmoore9204
    @howardmoore9204 Рік тому +1

    Thank you for all your great videos

  • @robertgonzales5515
    @robertgonzales5515 9 місяців тому +1

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

  • @MaxAmerica.Freedom
    @MaxAmerica.Freedom Рік тому +2

    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.

  • @PhilMoskowitz
    @PhilMoskowitz Рік тому +1

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

  • @chrisgonz9963
    @chrisgonz9963 Рік тому +1

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

  • @fcruz43215
    @fcruz43215 Рік тому +1

    Very cool! Go Big D!

  • @johnp388
    @johnp388 11 місяців тому +1

    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.

    • @thelogicalcowboy
      @thelogicalcowboy  11 місяців тому

      That's a good thought and something to think about.

  • @r.williamcomm7693
    @r.williamcomm7693 Рік тому +1

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

  • @ralpha.2023
    @ralpha.2023 Рік тому +1

    Another good one brother. Thanks

  • @cjtexas9646
    @cjtexas9646 Рік тому +2

    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!

    • @thelogicalcowboy
      @thelogicalcowboy  Рік тому +1

      Appreciate you bro 🙏 where do I sign the check Jerry 😆 🤣. Thanks again CJ.

  • @777Outrigger
    @777Outrigger Рік тому +1

    Great video!

  • @Jelperman
    @Jelperman 11 місяців тому +1

    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:
    ua-cam.com/video/hNSrx78uyQc/v-deo.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:
    ua-cam.com/video/wln4TfxRSOs/v-deo.htmlsi=0cx2OrwgqwPrxh9R&t=8666

  • @brockgeorge777
    @brockgeorge777 Рік тому +3

    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.

  • @jasonprice4219
    @jasonprice4219 Рік тому +1

    Please keep it coming

  • @terrenceliburd8655
    @terrenceliburd8655 Рік тому +1

    LC your a genius. Nuff said

  • @robertcook792
    @robertcook792 23 дні тому

    I miss those days so much. D White was a great quarterback but the team didn't have the confidence in him like they did Staubach. If they would've rallied behind him a lil more Dallas would've won at least 2 more super bowls. Tom Landry was genius at football. His ability to create different setups both on offense and defense is unmatched by anyone. I'm so glad to have been alive to see them from '78-'85.

  • @jamesr.howell
    @jamesr.howell Рік тому +1

    Great video stuff. Thanks.

  • @krl97a
    @krl97a Рік тому +1

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

    • @thelogicalcowboy
      @thelogicalcowboy  Рік тому +1

      What's up bro! Yeah that defense was awesome that day!

  • @stephenrogers5185
    @stephenrogers5185 Рік тому +2

    Please do a story of the Giants defense designed by Landry

  • @robertwildes7550
    @robertwildes7550 6 місяців тому +1

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

  • @willmiles9639
    @willmiles9639 Рік тому +18

    Michael Downs is the most underrated safety in league history

    • @busydem6161
      @busydem6161 Рік тому +1

      Yep! In the early eighties he was as good as any one, Deron Cherry for KC too! It wasn’t till Lott made the shift from corner to safety in 86 where we saw huge and more impactful safeties.

    • @riverbandit58
      @riverbandit58 Рік тому +1

      Have his autograph

    • @oliverferreirajr4525
      @oliverferreirajr4525 Рік тому +2

      I agree Michael downs was cheated he s awesome

    • @Anomaly1928
      @Anomaly1928 9 місяців тому

      i agree

    • @greglahti5007
      @greglahti5007 7 місяців тому

      we all know they had several quality dbs back then ... but Walls Thurman and Downs stand out to me... honorable mention to bates for his dual role on special teams... Bates was one of the best on kick/punt cov

  • @David-wc7lx
    @David-wc7lx Рік тому +2

    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!

  • @oscarl.ramirez7355
    @oscarl.ramirez7355 Рік тому

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

  • @ZeusAmun-pt9dc
    @ZeusAmun-pt9dc 11 місяців тому

    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.

  • @brucedavis3816
    @brucedavis3816 Рік тому +1

    A percuser to the 4 6!!!

  • @slofever512
    @slofever512 Рік тому +1

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

  • @redmustangredmustang
    @redmustangredmustang Рік тому +5

    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.

    • @thelogicalcowboy
      @thelogicalcowboy  Рік тому +1

      Unfortunate!

    • @stewartmillen7708
      @stewartmillen7708 Рік тому +5

      Some of that was due, I believe, to a talent gap. The linebacker corps and secondary, while certainly not awful nor without star players, wasn't as capable as in the Doomsday 1 and Doomsday 2 years. So Landry had to compensate by scheming.
      The Cowboys weren't alone in this. Buddy Ryan admitted that his similar '46' defense was created because 'our corners can't cover consistently'.

    • @yeildo1492
      @yeildo1492 Рік тому +1

      A fair criticism.

    • @yeildo1492
      @yeildo1492 Рік тому +1

      @@chatsworthosbornejr The West Coast offense was nothing. Hmmm.....
      It was not where those defenders lined up. It was the ass kickers Johnson lined up. Just about all the time the team with the best players wins. That was Johnsons real "secret."

  • @terrenceliburd8655
    @terrenceliburd8655 Рік тому +2

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

    • @thelogicalcowboy
      @thelogicalcowboy  Рік тому

      Wow!

    • @terrenceliburd8655
      @terrenceliburd8655 Рік тому +1

      ​@@thelogicalcowboyCheck it out LC. You used to be able to harass WR in 1978 they implemented the 5yard rule to open up the game. Before you had to be a blazer or run super precise routes to honestly get open.

  • @fatgreta1066
    @fatgreta1066 Рік тому +1

    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.

    • @thelogicalcowboy
      @thelogicalcowboy  Рік тому +1

      Great Great idea! You have some of the best ideas bro lol I'm definitely going to do this. Although it'll take me a while to formulate my argument and write it all up. But when I do I'll definitely be dropping it. I have some great documentaries about Hollywood Henderson and Duane Thomas coming up in a few weeks. Thanks for the idea bro!

  • @duanedavis27
    @duanedavis27 Рік тому +2

    Thurman's Thieves!

  • @mrbake6933
    @mrbake6933 Рік тому +1

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

    • @thelogicalcowboy
      @thelogicalcowboy  Рік тому

      It does seem like it.

    • @mrbake6933
      @mrbake6933 Рік тому +1

      @@thelogicalcowboy If there is a connection that would be a fascinating video. Love your content, thank you

  • @brockgeorge777
    @brockgeorge777 Рік тому

    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.

  • @eddurriii8214
    @eddurriii8214 Рік тому

    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.

    • @thelogicalcowboy
      @thelogicalcowboy  Рік тому

      I never said the eagles used the 43 defense first. I said the Eagles used the nickel defense first. Eagles coach Jerry Williams invented it back in the early 60s. The 40 is not the 43. The 40 stands for a 4-man defensive line, which can be said of the 43, dime, nickel, and any other defense that allows for 4 down linemen. I'm well aware of the history of the Giants' 43 in the 50s under Landry. I have an entire video on the history of the 43 defense with the Giants. Here's the link if you're interested. I made this video when I first started my channel, so the audio is a bit off. Thanks again, bro. Again, here's the link... ua-cam.com/video/RH8zwjQTH10/v-deo.html

  • @CraigSmithII
    @CraigSmithII Рік тому

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

    • @thelogicalcowboy
      @thelogicalcowboy  Рік тому

      ?....

    • @CraigSmithII
      @CraigSmithII Рік тому +1

      @@thelogicalcowboy
      I was tagging a gentleman that I follow on UA-cam who does breakdowns of offenses & defenses(Old & New School) in his Madden breaksdowns

    • @thelogicalcowboy
      @thelogicalcowboy  Рік тому

      @@CraigSmithII
      🤣 🤣

  • @TypicalAisian1968
    @TypicalAisian1968 Рік тому +1

    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.

    • @thelogicalcowboy
      @thelogicalcowboy  Рік тому +1

      Facts. Run and shoot was amazing! Wow! What's the name of his channel?

    • @TypicalAisian1968
      @TypicalAisian1968 Рік тому +1

      @@thelogicalcowboy I cant find it now, I switched accts since then. These are some nice deep dives your doing, keep it up.

  • @mr1234567899111
    @mr1234567899111 3 місяці тому +1

    😊

  • @dougamundson6836
    @dougamundson6836 11 місяців тому

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

  • @EHou01
    @EHou01 11 місяців тому

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

  • @creepystares9853
    @creepystares9853 Рік тому

    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.

  • @1USACitizen192
    @1USACitizen192 Рік тому

    Chuck Noll crushed this defense.

  • @mykull666
    @mykull666 Рік тому +1

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

  • @lichotropical3350
    @lichotropical3350 4 місяці тому +1

    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.