Mike Zimmer Hired as DC
- Thread starter Simpleton
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p1_
DCC 4Life
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I would think that would require him to fix the issues with his defense/roster .
Chocolate Lab
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I'd bet decent money that they announced it as a one year deal to protect McCarthy, but there's a handshake deal that if Jerry hires a new HC next year, Zimmer gets first dibs.
Bill Shatner
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I'd bet a lot that if Fat Mike had been fired, Zim would be HC right now.
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Changes Mike Zimmer is making to Cowboys defense, his plan for All-Pro Micah Parsons
By Jon Machota
May 15, 2024
20
FRISCO, Texas — Mike Zimmer has a reputation of being a straightforward coach who strives to have a disciplined group. His personality might not be for everyone, but it has delivered impressive results, particularly on the defensive side of the ball for nearly 30 years coaching in the NFL.
The 67-year-old is now tasked with improving a Dallas Cowboys defense that was already one of the league’s top units over the last few seasons.
“It’s like I told the defense the first day I got here,” Zimmer said Tuesday. “‘This is a different deal for me. Usually when I come in, the defense is not good.’ And they’re pretty darn good. … We have to advance some of the things they were doing good and try to improve on the things they weren’t doing as good.
“For the most part, they’ve played pretty darn good, and we’re going to try to accentuate that and maybe be a little bit more technique-oriented, maybe a little bit more disciplined. At the end of the day, we’ve got to do it the way I want it done. I know (when) you try to come in and do somebody else’s thing, it just doesn’t go well.”
Zimmer coached Dallas’ defensive backs from 1995 to 1999 before becoming Cowboys defensive coordinator in 2000. He held that position until 2007, when he became defensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons. From 2008 to 2013, Zimmer was defensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals. He was hired as Minnesota Vikings head coach in 2014. In eight seasons with the Vikings, they went 72-56-1 in the regular season and 2-3 in the playoffs. Zimmer was fired after the 2021 season. He did not coach the last two seasons.
“I don’t like mistakes, no, but these guys have been good so far,” Zimmer said. “There’s different ways to do it. You can yell at them, you can put your arm around them, you can pat them on the butt, whatever. Each guy’s going to be a little bit different. We’ll just see how it goes.”
During a 10-minute question-and-answer session with local reporters Tuesday, Zimmer was asked what is the best way for young players to make an impression.
“Obviously, the smart players always are the better players,” he responded. “I always say, ‘Do your job so someone else can have success doing theirs.’ You might have to sit there and take on a double-team. It’s no fun, but you’re doing it so the other guy can make the tackle. Those are the kind of things we stress. Playing good team defense and obviously all the things: be really good on third down, good at stopping the run, being good in the red zone.
“When they get out there on the field, they know what they’re doing and they go out and make plays without risking leaving someone else in a bad spot.”
Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy is very familiar with Zimmer from McCarthy’s time coaching the Green Bay Packers against Zimmer and the rival Vikings. McCarthy says the two biggest changes with Zimmer taking over for Dan Quinn, who is now head coach of the Washington Commanders, will be the language of the scheme and technique changes along the defensive line. The team is adjusting to using Zimmer’s language. When McCarthy took over offensive play calling last year, he adapted to the offensive language that was already in place.
One other change: Zimmer will be on the sideline during games. Quinn preferred being in the coaching booth.
“Well, I’ve always been on the sideline, No. 1,” Zimmer said. “No. 2, I want to catch them when they come off so I can talk to them. If there are adjustments that need to be made, then I want to be able to sit down and do it with them. Lot of times I tell them if they mess up, go on the other end, don’t come by me.”
What are the assistant coaches saying?
Several offensive and defensive assistant coaches were also made available to reporters at The Star on Tuesday. Here are some highlights from the defensive coaches when asked about working with Zimmer.
Assistant head coach and defensive backs coach Al Harris: “You feel that (intensity) when you first meet him. I think people kind of misperceive (him) because he’s a good dude. If you’re really sensitive, he probably might rub you the wrong way, but if you know it’s coming from a good place, hey man, he’s just coaching ball.”
Defensive line coach Jeff Zgonina: “I haven’t caught the wrath yet, but I know it’s coming. I’m fine with that. It makes you a better coach and a better player when you get the wrath. He just wants to win like all of us. That’s the passion that drives him. It’s just a passion to win and a passion to be the best out there.”
Assistant defensive line coach and former Cowboys player Greg Ellis: “It’s not relaxing in our coaching room. He holds coaches to be responsible. I’ve been around him long enough to know whatever you tell him you’re going to do, he’s going to hold you to it. He’s not going to forget it. That’s what makes him a good coach. I really couldn’t think of a better coach for me to be under than him.”
Zimmer’s thoughts on some of his defensive personnel
Defensive line
On next steps for All-Pro DE/LB Micah Parsons: “He doesn’t have to take many steps. He’s such a dynamic player that, I said this the other day, offenses are always going to know where he’s at. They’re going to turn protections to him, have the back help chip no matter what it is. In a lot of the games he played last year that I watched, the offenses had a good scheme where they had two tight ends on him and all those things. So, we’re going to obviously move him around, do different things with him. But we’re going to use him some ways where we’re getting the protection turned the way we want it turned and able to win on the other side. And sometimes, we’re going to try to overload a protection where he gets a one-on-one.”
Zimmer said second-year DT Mazi Smith is around 305 pounds. He declined to share what the goal is for Smith, but they want him to gain weight. He was around 325 pounds last year when he was drafted. Smith is working his way back from offseason shoulder surgery.
“He lost a lot of weight when he got here and he was trying to be an attacking, three-technique (defensive tackle) to get up the field,” Zimmer said, “and we’re going to probably play blocks a little bit more than that, try not to get reached, so linebackers know where they’re supposed to fit and so on and so forth.”
Linebacker
On Eric Kendricks, who played for Zimmer in Minnesota: “(During) the walk-through today, I gave them a bunch of hard things, and he’s quick. He’s said it before, done it before. We were just talking about that today, how if he wasn’t here how much different it would be, so really glad that we have him. He was an All-Pro player for me a while ago. Obviously, a really good player, so hopefully he can keep going that way and help the guys around him.”
Defensive back
On All-Pro cornerbacks Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland: “Anytime you have two good corners, it allows you to do a lot of other things. You can tilt the coverage, you can play man-to-man, you can double other guys. That’s an exciting part. Typically, when we’ve had good corners, we’ve played pretty good, so knock on wood that we will.”
By Jon Machota
May 15, 2024
20
The 67-year-old is now tasked with improving a Dallas Cowboys defense that was already one of the league’s top units over the last few seasons.
“It’s like I told the defense the first day I got here,” Zimmer said Tuesday. “‘This is a different deal for me. Usually when I come in, the defense is not good.’ And they’re pretty darn good. … We have to advance some of the things they were doing good and try to improve on the things they weren’t doing as good.
“For the most part, they’ve played pretty darn good, and we’re going to try to accentuate that and maybe be a little bit more technique-oriented, maybe a little bit more disciplined. At the end of the day, we’ve got to do it the way I want it done. I know (when) you try to come in and do somebody else’s thing, it just doesn’t go well.”
Zimmer coached Dallas’ defensive backs from 1995 to 1999 before becoming Cowboys defensive coordinator in 2000. He held that position until 2007, when he became defensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons. From 2008 to 2013, Zimmer was defensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals. He was hired as Minnesota Vikings head coach in 2014. In eight seasons with the Vikings, they went 72-56-1 in the regular season and 2-3 in the playoffs. Zimmer was fired after the 2021 season. He did not coach the last two seasons.
“I don’t like mistakes, no, but these guys have been good so far,” Zimmer said. “There’s different ways to do it. You can yell at them, you can put your arm around them, you can pat them on the butt, whatever. Each guy’s going to be a little bit different. We’ll just see how it goes.”
During a 10-minute question-and-answer session with local reporters Tuesday, Zimmer was asked what is the best way for young players to make an impression.
“Obviously, the smart players always are the better players,” he responded. “I always say, ‘Do your job so someone else can have success doing theirs.’ You might have to sit there and take on a double-team. It’s no fun, but you’re doing it so the other guy can make the tackle. Those are the kind of things we stress. Playing good team defense and obviously all the things: be really good on third down, good at stopping the run, being good in the red zone.
“When they get out there on the field, they know what they’re doing and they go out and make plays without risking leaving someone else in a bad spot.”
Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy is very familiar with Zimmer from McCarthy’s time coaching the Green Bay Packers against Zimmer and the rival Vikings. McCarthy says the two biggest changes with Zimmer taking over for Dan Quinn, who is now head coach of the Washington Commanders, will be the language of the scheme and technique changes along the defensive line. The team is adjusting to using Zimmer’s language. When McCarthy took over offensive play calling last year, he adapted to the offensive language that was already in place.
One other change: Zimmer will be on the sideline during games. Quinn preferred being in the coaching booth.
“Well, I’ve always been on the sideline, No. 1,” Zimmer said. “No. 2, I want to catch them when they come off so I can talk to them. If there are adjustments that need to be made, then I want to be able to sit down and do it with them. Lot of times I tell them if they mess up, go on the other end, don’t come by me.”
What are the assistant coaches saying?
Several offensive and defensive assistant coaches were also made available to reporters at The Star on Tuesday. Here are some highlights from the defensive coaches when asked about working with Zimmer.
Assistant head coach and defensive backs coach Al Harris: “You feel that (intensity) when you first meet him. I think people kind of misperceive (him) because he’s a good dude. If you’re really sensitive, he probably might rub you the wrong way, but if you know it’s coming from a good place, hey man, he’s just coaching ball.”
Defensive line coach Jeff Zgonina: “I haven’t caught the wrath yet, but I know it’s coming. I’m fine with that. It makes you a better coach and a better player when you get the wrath. He just wants to win like all of us. That’s the passion that drives him. It’s just a passion to win and a passion to be the best out there.”
Assistant defensive line coach and former Cowboys player Greg Ellis: “It’s not relaxing in our coaching room. He holds coaches to be responsible. I’ve been around him long enough to know whatever you tell him you’re going to do, he’s going to hold you to it. He’s not going to forget it. That’s what makes him a good coach. I really couldn’t think of a better coach for me to be under than him.”
Zimmer’s thoughts on some of his defensive personnel
Defensive line
On next steps for All-Pro DE/LB Micah Parsons: “He doesn’t have to take many steps. He’s such a dynamic player that, I said this the other day, offenses are always going to know where he’s at. They’re going to turn protections to him, have the back help chip no matter what it is. In a lot of the games he played last year that I watched, the offenses had a good scheme where they had two tight ends on him and all those things. So, we’re going to obviously move him around, do different things with him. But we’re going to use him some ways where we’re getting the protection turned the way we want it turned and able to win on the other side. And sometimes, we’re going to try to overload a protection where he gets a one-on-one.”
Zimmer said second-year DT Mazi Smith is around 305 pounds. He declined to share what the goal is for Smith, but they want him to gain weight. He was around 325 pounds last year when he was drafted. Smith is working his way back from offseason shoulder surgery.
“He lost a lot of weight when he got here and he was trying to be an attacking, three-technique (defensive tackle) to get up the field,” Zimmer said, “and we’re going to probably play blocks a little bit more than that, try not to get reached, so linebackers know where they’re supposed to fit and so on and so forth.”
Linebacker
On Eric Kendricks, who played for Zimmer in Minnesota: “(During) the walk-through today, I gave them a bunch of hard things, and he’s quick. He’s said it before, done it before. We were just talking about that today, how if he wasn’t here how much different it would be, so really glad that we have him. He was an All-Pro player for me a while ago. Obviously, a really good player, so hopefully he can keep going that way and help the guys around him.”
Defensive back
On All-Pro cornerbacks Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland: “Anytime you have two good corners, it allows you to do a lot of other things. You can tilt the coverage, you can play man-to-man, you can double other guys. That’s an exciting part. Typically, when we’ve had good corners, we’ve played pretty good, so knock on wood that we will.”
Bill Shatner
Lock phasers on target
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2020
- Messages
- 5,665
Best DC in the league. Except for Spagnuolo....and probably a few others or more, but that's our guy dammit.