The Dallas Cowboys parted ways with Dan Quinn two weeks ago, with the former Cowboys defensive coordinator moving to Washington to take the head coaching job in DC. That left the defensive coordinator post empty in Dallas.
Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy wasted no time in finding an adequate replacement, though, and soon Mike Zimmer was picked as the best man for the job.
Zimmer’s NFL Career Started 30 Years Ago in Dallas
Zimmer, who used to work as a Cowboys defensive assistant in 1994 at the start of his NFL career, was delighted to be given the opportunity to return to football and to make his Dallas comeback.
He spent the last two seasons out of the NFL after he was sacked by the Minnesota Vikings in 2021, so a return to the place where it all started felt like the right thing to do.
The son of a high school coach, Zimmer lives and breathes football. So, when he got the call to join the Cowboys, he didn’t hesitate and accepted the job straight away.
Zimmer said he missed football and coaching and couldn’t say no to the Cowboys’ offer, as he loved all aspects of the job.
What Role Will Micah Parsons Play?
The Cowboys have one of the best teams in the NFL, and Zimmer was really excited to be able to help some of the best players in the league get even better.
One of those top defensive stars playing for the Cowboys is Micah Parsons, an all-round linebacker who turned into a top-notch pass rusher capable of destroying opponents’ game plans in just a few plays.
So, it was to be expected that Parsons would also be the first player the press asked Zimmer about. However, the new defensive coordinator didn’t offer much detail on how he planned to deploy his most potent defensive weapon.
Zimmer said Parsons was a terrific player and made “some unbelievably athletic plays.” He stopped short of telling reporters how he was going to use him, though.
He did hint that he already knew what role Parsons would play in the team, but he thought it wouldn’t be fair to the player to share that information with the media before talking to Parsons himself.
Cowboys Won’t Reinvent the Wheel
Another thing that Zimmer is aware of is that he doesn’t come to Dallas as someone who needs to disassemble the Cowboys’ existing defense and start from scratch.
The Cowboys were in the Top 5 in total yards and points allowed last season and had one of the best defenses in the league. After all, you can’t win the NFC East if you have a woeful defensive unit.
So, for Zimmer, it would be about making the existing parts of the machinery perform better rather than tearing everything down and building on new foundations.
Zimmer is fully aware of this and said he wasn’t going to try to “reinvent the wheel” in Dallas, as the players were pretty good and there was no need for an upheaval of any sort.
