The Dallas Cowboys are in complete disarray following last Thursday’s 24-16 loss to a Tampa Bay Buccaneers squad that was forced to start undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels in place of an injured Baker Mayfield.
It was hard to tell Daniels was an undrafted rookie, as he finished the game 19-for-25 through the air with a touchdown, ending the game with a 110.2 RTG, per ESPN’s box score.
After the game, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones called the loss “extraordinarily, extraordinarily disappointing” and admitted how surprised he was by Tampa’s physicality.
“They basically were very physical. I thought both their fronts — I was really surprised how they ran the ball, how they ran it between the tackles. That was surprising. We thought if they were going to run it, they’d do it outside.”
In a radio appearance on 105.3 The FAN on Tuesday, Jones said that defensive coordinator Christian Parker would be moving from the field to the booth for Sunday night’s game against the Green Bay Packers to try and improve Dallas’ performance on that side of the ball.
However, head coach Brian Schottenheimer walked back Jones’ word in his Wednesday presser, saying that “none of those decisions have been finalized.”
“There’s a good chance Christian is on the field,” Schottenheimer added, per The Athletic’s Jon Machota. “Christian Parker is our defensive coordinator. All (defensive) decisions will go through him.”
Other changes have been confirmed
Whether Parker calls the game from the sideline or the booth, significant change has already come to Dallas’ defensive staff. Former NFL defensive coordinator and head coach Mike Pettine was brought on as a defensive assistant, something SVP Stephen Jones discussed in his Tuesday call into 105.3 The FAN.
“We think Coach Pettine can really be a positive for (Brian Schottenheimer), for Christian (Parker). They both have great experience with him,” Stephen said. “I think the thing will evolve. Just like Ken Dorsey’s role (as pass game specialist) evolves with (QB coach Steve Shimko) and Schotty and (offensive coordinator) Klayton (Adams), I think Mike Pettine’s role, he’ll get in here; he’s a seasoned coach who everybody’s very comfortable with.
“He’s not going to coach a position, so I think that’s very helpful in terms of looking at the defense holistically. It’s always good to get a new set of eyes in here at any point in time just to, if you will, scout you, and say, ‘Hey, here are the things you might, should consider and look at.’ The great thing is he does have a great history with both Coach Schottenheimer and Christian.”
Pettine and Parker will have their work cut out for them as they attempt to slow down a Packers squad that seemed to find its stride in a 31-7 rout of the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
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