It's obviously a small sample size, but statistically, the Dallas Cowboys defense is among the top 15 in the NFL.
Entering Monday, the Cowboys ranked 13th in yards per game at 316.5 and 12th in points allowed, 21.5 per contest. Had they posted those same averages throughout the entire 2013 season, the Cowboys would've finished fifth in yards allowed and 11th in scoring defense.
Yes, only two games, but after having the league's worst defense in 2013, it's worth noting where the group currently stands.
"Our defense is probably better than what people think it is, but we still got a lot of work to do," Cowboys chief operating officer Stephen Jones said Monday on 105.3 The Fan [KRLD-FM]. "You got to give [defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli] a lot of credit. He has a philosophy that he has ingrained in our guys. He's certainly worked their tail off and I think really hardened them up.
"We got some skill out there, but also a lot of young guys and a lot of new guys who are buying into the system and buying into what Rod does."
Jones' optimism also comes from envisioning what the defense could look like when Henry Melton is back to full strength and Orlando Scandrick, Anthony Spencer and DeMarcus Lawrence make their returns.
"We really felt like, even though there were a lot of naysayers, that we were going to be better on defense," Jones said. "We still don't know how good of a defense we can be, but we certainly felt like we would improve on defense."
And, of course, you couldn't address the positives on that side of the ball without mentioning the impressive play of middle linebacker Rolando McClain.
Through two games, McClain leads the Cowboys with 15 tackles, a sack and an interception.
"He's certainly playing like he was a top 10 pick in the draft," Jones said. "He's certainly one of our better players on the defensive side of the ball. He's making plays for us and he's been very consistent. It is paying off. He certainly is enjoying playing the game, so hopefully he'll just get better."
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