With the Dallas Cowboys having major issues on the defensive side of the ball this season, the team has brought in veteran defensive coach Mike Pettine to try and help fix things.
Pettine was hired as a senior defensive assistant and head coach Brian Schottenheimer initially made it clear that his purpose is to help defensive coordinator Christian Parker.
"Had a chance to work with Pettine for a number of years, along with the Jets, and he's gonna be here in a role to support everything that [Christian Parker] is leading and guiding, and we are really, really excited," Schottenheimer said.
However, how the Cowboys plan on structuring the dynamic with Pettine and Parker is interesting, to say the least.
On Friday, Schottenheimer told 105.3 The Fan that Pettine will be reporting directly to him and not to Parker, which makes it sound like Pettine is much more than just a consultant.
"Mike reports directly to me," Schottenheimer said. "Obviously, he works side-by-side with the entire staff, all three phases, but again, the most important thing for him right now is to be a sounding board for Christian."
What's the problem?
This kind of structure effectively places Pettine above Parker in the pecking order and takes a lot of the power away from Parker. Now, one could argue that's deserved after the struggles on the defense, but it doesn't change the reality of the situation.
There's also the awkward dynamic that Pettine has to report what he is hearing and seeing from Parker, which could create trust issues between the two.
Maybe this isn't a big deal because Pettine and Parker have a prior relationship from their days together with the Green Bay Packers, but we definitely can't say that for sure.
The midseason addition of Pettine was already a bad look for the struggling defensive coordinator, but the reporting structure only makes things look worse for Parker.
Parker was even asked if the addition of Pettine was a "save the day" hire, but Parker declined to answer that question.
"I don't need to respond to that," Parker said on Thursday.
Parker and Pettine gameday setup
During the week, the Cowboys weren't on the same page when it comes to whether Parker would be on the sideline or in the booth for Week 6 against the Green Bay Packers.
Owner Jerry Jones said he would be in the latter spot, but Schotty initially said nothing had been decided yet and Parker himself said he would "most likely" be on the sideline.
But Schottenheimer confirmed on Friday that Parker is going to be on the field and Pettine will be up in the booth.
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