The Dallas Cowboys finally made their defensive coordinator…
The Dallas Cowboys have officially announced their defensive coordinator hiring, albeit with a slight delay.
The Dallas Cowboys announced their much anticipated defensive coordinator hire on Monday with veteran coach Mike Zimmer taking on the role. Even though the move was widely expected, there was a decent amount of controversy involved.Rex Ryan, who was also interviewed for the position, had said on Sunday that the Zimmer deal wasn’t done, despite the widespread reporting. Then, NFL insider Adam Schefter confirmed this by saying that there was a complication with the Zimmer hiring and that Ryan was back in play.It turns out the complication was nothing out of the ordinary. It was just a scheduling issue that slowed down the contract talks.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was in Las Vegas for the Super Bowl over the weekend. According to Michael Gehlken of Dallas Morning News, this was the reason the hire wasn’t made official earlier. Zimmer’s standing as the defensive coordinator was allegedly never in doubt.
Ryan’s statements are understandable as he was vying for the same position. However, this raises questions about Schefter’s reporting.Zimmer has a history with Jones, having served as a defensive assistant and defensive coordinator for the Cowboys from 1994 to 2006. Both have a high level of mutual respect. Zimmer was widely seen as the leading candidate to succeed Dan Quinn. Given that Zimmer, aged 67, was returning to coaching after a two-year hiatus specifically for this role, it was considered his position to lose.