NFL Tracker: Myles Garrett wins defensive player of the year against Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys. For the defense coordinator position on Mike McCarthy’s staff, the Dallas Cowboys are looking to another former NFL head coach
According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network on Thursday, the Cowboys are anticipated to appoint former Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer as defensive coordinator.
Dan Quinn, who was formally announced as the Washington Commanders’ head coach last week, would be replaced by Zimmer, 67.From 2014 to 21, Zimmer was the head coach of the Vikings, guiding the team to three postseason berths and a 72-56-1 record. In 1994, he started working as an assistant coach for the Cowboys in the NFL. He was the team’s defensive coordinator from 2000 to 2006, having previously spent three seasons coaching defensive backs. He will take over a star-studded defense in Dallas, one that included pass rusher Micah Parsons, a nominee for Defensive Player of the Year, and cornerback DaRon Bland, whose five pick-sixes this season established an NFL record.
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Quinn’s defenses had a reputation for producing big plays and takeaways. In terms of points allowed, his units have placed fifth in the last two years.But Dallas’ 2023 campaign came to an end as they lost 48–32 to the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round.
For the position of defensive coordinator, the Cowboys reportedly also interviewed New York Jets safeties coach Marquand Manuel and former Commanders coach Ron Rivera. Jerry Jones, the owner of the Cowboys, revealed on Thursday that the team also discussed the post with Rex Ryan, the head coach of the Buffalo Bills and former Jets.Texas’s Frisco Mike Zimmer is anticipated to return to his position as defensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys, eighteen years after he left the position, a source revealed on Thursday night.
Dan Quinn, who served as the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator for three years before leaving to take the helm as head coach of the Washington Commanders, will be replaced by Zimmer.
The 67-year-old Zimmer worked as an assistant coach with the Dallas Cowboys from 1994 to 2006. He began as a defensive assistant, switching to defensive backs in 1995—the final season Dallas won a Super Bowl—and then coordinated under two separate head coaches, Bill Parcells (2003–06) and Dave Campo (2000-02).The transaction between the Cowboys and Zimmer was anticipated, according to an initial report from NFL Network.
Zimmer led the Minnesota Vikings from 2014 to 21 and had a 74-59-1 record, which included three postseason appearances. He got to know Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy better during his tenure in the NFC North than he did the head coach of the Green Bay Packers.Zimmer will take over a team that features two contenders for Defensive Player of the Year in DaRon Bland, the cornerback who set a record with five interceptions returned for touchdowns, and edge rusher Micah Parsons. Trevon Diggs, a cornerback, signed a five-year, $97 million contract last summer, but he is currently recovering from a torn ACL in his left knee.Although there are concerns at linebacker and the interior defensive line, the Cowboys finished seventh in 2023 in terms of both points per game (18.5) and yards per game (299.7). However, they were exposed in the regular season defeats to the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers, and they allowed 48 points in the Packers’ wild-card loss.
Having worked as the coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals prior to taking over in Minnesota, Zimmer enjoys a strong reputation in the NFL. Although he has primarily worked with 4-3 defenses, in 2005, when the Cowboys were drafted with DeMarcus Ware, Marcus Spears, Kevin Burnett, Chris Canty, and Jay Ratliff, they switched to a 3-4 under Parcells’ coaching.It is considered a plus that his scheme is versatile.
It will be McCarthy’s third defensive coordinator in five seasons when Zimmer takes over. In 2020, Mike Nolan oversaw the position; however, after the Cowboys surrendered a franchise-high 473 points, Quinn took over. Quinn commanded the defense that helped the Cowboys to three consecutive 12-5 seasons and three postseason appearances, ranking first in the NFL in takeaways in 2021 and ’22.
The Cowboys also spoke with former Buffalo Bills and New York Jets coach Rex Ryan, who is currently an ESPN analyst, and interviewed former Commanders coach Ron Rivera, their defensive line coach Aden Durde, and New York Jets safeties coach Marquand Manuel.Henderson, Nevada George Kittle and his 49ers colleagues were startled out of sleep seven minutes before their scheduled 6:10 a.m. alarm went off. The cause of the wakefulness was the fire alarm at their hotel located outside of Las Vegas.
After jumping out of bed, Kittle proceeded to his bathroom, shut the door, and bided his time there for the next eighteen minutes, until the noise subsided. Since the hotel’s engineers claimed it was a false alarm, nobody was compelled to leave.
However, not all Niners were as unperturbed by the commotion as Kittle was. He conducted a casual survey among his teammates to see who was the most irritated due to the early wake-up call as he made his way down for breakfast.The answer is a tie between defensive end Nick Bosa and running back Christian McCaffrey, who are both well-known for their dedication to routine in the San Francisco locker room.
“It had to be them,” stated Kittle. “You don’t want to startle the bear into waking up. However, Christian was also not content.”When McCaffrey and Bosa met with the media for the last time prior to Sunday’s Super Bowl LVIII against the Kansas City Chiefs, they were, in fact, still rather angry about it later on Thursday afternoon.
McCaffrey was clear in his availability that he didn’t think the alarm was accidentally set off.
“I don’t think it’s random,” McCaffrey stated. That’s a component of it. It’s merely fueling the fire with additional wood.”
Bosa was asleep when the alarm went off, just like Kittle. Upon awakening, he promptly texted the remaining members of the defensive line group chat, stating that there were already numerous grievances regarding his early and noisy wake-up.Bosa agreed with McCaffrey that it was unlikely an accident and pointed out that the Niners and other teams have dealt with some hotel hijinks on the road in the past, so it gave him some comfort that it was closer to a typical wake-up hour than two or three a.m.
“Someone did it, for sure,” Bosa declared. “It made me think of Philly during the time when construction was taking place outside.” They were breaking down a bridge opposite our hotel in the early hours of the morning. Our luck hasn’t been the best. However, make no excuses.”
The fire alarm was the most recent jolt in what has already been a challenging climb up.The sod, which is laid atop an artificial field, is substantially softer than what is typical, according to Niners officials, coaches, and players. The Niners have not altered their practice schedule for this week to accommodate a new practice arrangement, as head coach Kyle Shanahan stated on Wednesday, stating that the club “will deal with the field how it is”.
The 49ers finish practice week with one final workout against UNLV on Friday.
“We’re just trying to get to Sunday and be as prepared as we possibly can,” Bosa stated. “And if we have to deal with a couple more issues, we’re ready to do it.”
HENDERSON, Nev. — general manager Brett Veach said he is aware of the challenge the organization faces in re-signing both defensive tackle and cornerback but said it would be an offseason priority to get both players under new contracts.
“Sometimes I look at our situation and I’m like, ‘I don’t know how we’re going to do this,’ but we usually work through things systematically and have a list of the priorities,” Veach said as the Chiefs continued preparations for Super Bowl LVIII against the “Certainly, Chris and LJ are at the top of the list.
“It’s extremely hard because you have two keystone players there.”For several years, Jones, 29, has been among the best pass-rushers in the NFL. He missed training camp and the opening game of the regular season while waiting for a new deal, but he tied for the team lead with 10.5 sacks this season.
The Chiefs sweetened the last season of his current contract, but he didn’t get the extension he wanted.
“We love Chris and he’s an iconic player here, not just here, but of all time, so it was important for us to mend the fences with him,” Veach remarked. “We’ll prioritize that, but it was important to us, and we’ll keep working hard to see if we can accomplish something.”none had major games against him at the time.
The Chiefs defense, which limited the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, and Baltimore Ravens to a combined 41 points in the postseason, allowed less points than all but one other team during the regular season. Jones and Sneed are important members of this unit.
After Patrick Mahomes took over as the starting quarterback in 2018, the Chiefs’ defenses were occasionally competitive, but they weren’t always so. Because of Mahomes’ enormous deal, Veach and the Chiefs had a difficult time assembling a strong defense during the previous few seasons.
“I still recall saying in 2017 and 2018 that if we can just get them to punt once we’ve got a shot, that would be great,” Veach said.
“Going from where we were in ’17 and ’18 to having one of the best defenses, knowing the constraints we had of just paying [Mahomes] and probably drafting later [in rounds], I don’t think I ever envisioned having a top one or two defense.”
