ARLINGTON – Brandon Carr says he doesn't model his game after any other NFL cornerback. Why would he? Playing the way he did during his first four seasons in the league earned him a five-year, $50.1 million contract from the Dallas Cowboys.
And although he admits the Cowboys defensive unit has been watching film of teams like the Chicago Bears and the Seattle Seahawks to get examples of how Monte Kiffin's defense is designed to be run, don't expect to see a duplicate out of Carr's team on Sundays.
"We see how those guys get after it, but we're trying to make our own mark on this defense," Carr said Wednesday during a charity home run derby at Rangers Ballpark.
Carr called learning the new Tampa-2 scheme an "ongoing process." When it is run correctly, opposing offenses will have a difficult time identifying if the Cowboys are in zone, cover-two or man-to-man, according to Carr.
"It allows the corners to be aggressive at the line of scrimmage, every play challenging receivers," Carr explained. "It allows us to go out there and dictate the flow of the game."
The Cowboys have a strong group of cornerbacks in Carr, Morris Claiborne, Orlando Scandrick and B.W. Webb. How those four are able to perform in Kiffin's defense will go a long way in determining if the switch to a 4-3 scheme is a success.
Count Carr, who led the Cowboys with three interceptions and 11 passes defended last season, among the players who don't seem to mind the switch.
"It allows me to be the corner that I want to be," he said. "Go up there each play and challenge the receiver. That's what I came into this league doing and that's what I've been doing for some time in this league, and that's how I made my name.
"It allows me to go back up to the line of scrimmage and it allows Claiborne to do the same thing."
