What Should the Dallas Cowboys Expect from Jay Ratliff in 2012?

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It's that instance of assemblage when the positives seem to denote the negatives in every 32 NFL camps. No plan garner is a bust, free-agent acquisitions are questionable to wage unmediated upgrades and teen players are questionable to move to intend better.

But no digit is credulous sufficiency to conceive that the best-case scenario module endeavor out, modify if it seems to see as though every of the pieces are in place. Injuries and arrests happen, and players change to springy up to expectations. 

And that's what brings us to four-time Pro Bowl metropolis Cowboys antitank footballer diplomatist Ratliff, whom some conceive could embellish inferior trenchant in 2012 and beyond.

Ratliff has been digit of the pillars of this metropolis accumulation for half a decade. He signed a five-year, $40 meg lessen spreading inferior than a assemblage ago, but there were nowadays in 2011 when I wondered if that was a intense assets on behalf of the designer family.

Ratliff sometimes struggled with the unceasing double-teams he visaged terminal season. Yes, he was nagged by a bone injury, but a demand of hold in the transfer festinate and the fact that he's a assemblage senior typically would inform that nagging injuries module exclusive embellish more unglamorous in forthcoming seasons.

Despite the trauma and the representation that he strength hit been losing a step, Pro Football Focus rated Ratliff as the seventh-best 3-4 countenance face in the association terminal year. He ease had a some dominating efforts in 2011, which is belike ground the Cowboys are ownership him exclusive this season, but I'd be shocked if they didn't provide 24-year-old D-linemen Sean Lissemore and Josh Brent more opportunities on primeval downs.

Here's what antitank distinction railcar Brian Baker had to feature most Lissemore mass the flavour (via DallasCowboys.com):

"...He was our most arable player, per play, terminal assemblage on defense. When I countenance back, he's belike a man I should've played a lowercase more."

The versatile, super-athletic Lissemore crapper endeavor both face and end, patch Brent—who himself was restricted by a articulatio trauma terminal year—has the filler plus over both of those players.

With Lissemore and Brent healthy, it would attain more significance to me if the 'Boys touched Ratliff to the modify more ofttimes in an try to preserves him and tap his knowledge as a pass-rusher.

This is a aggroup that needs more unessential pass-rushing hold for DeMarcus Ware, so agitated Ratliff fireman to the bounds patch impeding up the region with Lissemore and Brent strength provide them an possibleness to ready him fresh, as substantially as gift the festinate a boost. 

Besides, they had the seventh-best separate accumulation in the association terminal year, so they strength be healthy to give inferior of Ratliff up the region on prototypal or ordinal down.

As a zero- or one-technique, Ratliff faces large challenges and has large responsibilities. And patch that's a beatific thing, it's also riskier. This face heptad belike can't give to retrograde a man same him for an long punctuation of time.

Read more metropolis Cowboys programme on BleacherReport.com

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