Frisco, Texas – Mike Zimmer is a really good defensive coordinator. He is not a miracle worker.
Dan Quinn isn't, and wasn't, but everyone thought it was Dan Quinn for the better part of three seasons after taking over in 2021 a 2020 defense that was probably the worst in Cowboys history. . At least, the team that gave up the most points in a single season was 473 points. This is 37 points more than the previous opponent's highest score of 436 points in 2010.
And remember that season, after starting 1-7, the Cowboys fired head coach Wade Phillips, who was considered a “fixer.” That's because the third-most points scored in a single season against the Cowboys was 432 points in 2013. That was second only to 2012, when Rob Ryan was fired after giving up 400 points. Defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin was demoted for that 2013 blunder, and Rod Marinelli was hired the following year.
Quinn orchestrated a defense that ranks fifth in the NFL in 2023 when it comes to total yards. The problem is that in the Cowboys' six losses, opponents scored 199 points. This is an average of 33.3 times per game. And even if you subtract seven players from the Packers' No. 6 pick, which they lost to Green Bay 48-32 in the playoffs, that's still 32 per game.
Zimmer has a job to do and, as he said in Wednesday's media session, he's not here to “reinvent the wheel.”
And since he's only been here a few days and is currently closing on several high-profile defensive staff hires, it would certainly be difficult to make any definitive statements.
“First of all, we need to get all the coaches on the same page,” Zimmer said. “We have to speak the same language, so the players can speak the same language, so when they come off the field, they speak the same language to me.…I We need to establish communication first. Technology comes second. We need to know where our personnel are, place them in the right places, and then make sure they are guided and fired. There was a need.
“It's too early. We've been here for a day and a half, so it's too early to know there's a lot of work to do, but it's kind of a routine we have to go through.”
Makes sense. But the only position Zimmer needs to understand with Cowboys personnel personnel when it comes to player acquisitions is…
And they certainly don't need me to point it out.
By the time the Cowboys faced Green Bay in a playoff game, there was only one true “linebacker” on their roster. That's Damone Clarke. Bless the heart of another starter, Marquez Bell. But he comes in at 6-2, 218. They're not dimensional at linebacker, especially against teams that want to play fullback or play heavy like the Packers, who played tight end. A corps of ends that combined for 83 snaps in that playoff game.
Look, the Packers ran the ball 33 times in that loss. He only pitched 21 times. In the other loss, the Cardinals ran 30 times. The 49ers, who scored 42 points, ran the ball 41 times. First time in Philadelphia, about 33rd time. And, lo and behold, Buffalo ran the ball 49 times in a 31-10 blowout. This is the most run attempts against the Cowboys since the Bears had 50 in 1981, and the fourth-most in Cowboys history behind the Giants' 53 in 1976.
As Packers quarterback Jordan Love pointed out to Micah Parsons in a podcast interview, it's no wonder they thought this after watching Buffalo's ball run, which is tied for fifth-most against the Cowboys in franchise history. . Going into the game, we needed to run the ball. ” and rushed for 143 yards and three touchdowns.
The Cowboys are in dire need of a linebacker, especially if veteran Leighton Vander Esch decides to retire after suffering his second neck injury in Game 5 of the season. That means the only linebackers on the current roster still under contract with Clark are rookie free agent Tyrus Wheat, who played all 31 defensive snaps, and returning rookie Demarvion Overshawn. He suffered a torn ACL in training camp and, well…
It all depends on what the Cowboys and Zimmer decide to do with Parsons.
Is he an undersized defensive end or a Penn State linebacker the Cowboys think is talented enough to take with the No. 12 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft?
There's no question Parsons wants to be a defensive end. Players who produce 14 sacks like he did in 2023 will make money. And this will be interesting. The Cowboys have Parsons listed as a linebacker on their year-end roster and have until May 2 to pick up his fifth-year option. But the financial options are position-based, and Parsons is eligible at the franchise tender rate, so if he's worth $23,348,000 in his fifth year as a defensive end, but $2,192 as a linebacker. It's $2,000.
And, as Love pointed out to Parsons during that interview, “I think when you have a great pass rush, the quarterback is going to try to get the ball out of his hands right away. I was able to take advantage of that.''
With the help of chipping running back Aaron Jones, Parsons, who played most of his 48 snaps at defensive end, was completely neutralized. The third-year All-Pro finished with just two tackles, one QB hit and one pressure, according to NFL Next Generation Stats. As a result, the Cowboys did not sack Love in the game and only had three QB hits.
According to team stats, Great Parsons finished with a career-high 14 sacks and 91 QB pressures, but his 56 total tackles were among the top nine on a defense desperate to improve his play at linebacker. That was just eight fewer than his career-high of 64 as a rookie. Year (2021). This is while playing 80 percent of the defensive snaps in 2023, with only cornerbacks Stephon Gilmore and Daron Brand playing more.
Again, this is one of the big defensive personnel decisions the Cowboys have to make heading into free agency, and Parsons will be the centerpiece of the draft. He seems to be best used as a stand-up linebacker, using his skills to run to the ball and blitz from the middle or edge outside the defensive end. There, he'll be sure to be picked up by smaller, less athletic players. To communicate the situation.
Take him away from double teams so he can be a force against the run instead of when he's playing defensive end and facing offensive tackles that are about 60 to 80 pounds heavier. And we know this Cowboys defense needs to improve against the run.
Parsons, a linebacker, will be eased into a top priority this offseason. What do you think, Jim?
“Obviously he's a great player,” Zimmer said of Parsons, who has led the Cowboys in sacks the past two seasons. “When you watch him on tape, he plays incredibly athletic. One of the strengths I've always had is having a kind of vision for each player and using that to get the best out of him.” I think it's about trying to figure out how to utilize it in a certain way.”
“One thing I don't want to do right now is say what I think about playing against him without talking to him. 'Okay, this is what I'm thinking of doing with you and Micah. I don't think I should tell you guys first before I tell him. ”
But to me, this is the next big decision this struggling franchise has to make to end its run.
The first step was to replace Quinn with Zimmer.
So what should Parsons do?
Then find a regular linebacker.
