With the Cowboys making moves for the coaching staff, here are some ideas on how things are going with the Cowboys and some of the new defensive coaches.
Dan Quinn brought in to restore the defensive culture.
The Cowboys’ defensive flaws were due to a schematic incompatibility and an environment that apparently lacked responsibility and championship level standards. Although the adjustment of the system is important, the restoration of the tough, hard-working and competitive culture that previously existed with Rod Marinelli and Kris Richard at the helm. Quinn is made of a similar fabric with a detailed approach that focuses on effort and execution rather than complexity and trickery. He believes in creating a brotherhood within the unit that allows players to hold each other accountable for their performance and production. With Quinn encouraging Cowboys to play for each other while performing according to the championship standard he preaches and promotes every day in the boardroom and on the training ground, he should be able to make the defense play with the energy and effort required to compete at an elite level.
The new scheme is more suitable for Cowboy stars.
Quinn has experience training a 4-3 or 3-4 defense, but his 4-3 hybrid should be an ideal fit for the Cowboys’ top defenders. Demarcus Lawrence, Jaylon Smith, Leighton Vander Esch and Randy Gregory are all expected to benefit from the scheme change, with each defender positioned in a striking position among the seven in front. Lawrence is the Cowboys’ best defender / pass rusher and he should be able to attack the pocket outside the edge of a three-point position. Gregory is the explosive athlete ideally suited to play the role of “LEO” on the open side. The 1.8m tall, 255-pounder is an abnormal athlete with the speed, speed and explosiveness to harass quarterbacks like a weak side pass rusher. Smith and Vander Esch must reappear as making a difference in a system that allows them to run and chase as side-by-side defenders. The pair prospered in a similar pattern in 2018, with Marinelli and Richard placing each defender in privileged positions to make plays.
The Cowboys’ defensive revival depends on the performance of their stars. Quinn’s scheme is expected to resurrect a unit that had failed results in 2020.
The development of young players becomes the number one priority.
The Cowboys’ likely commitment to Dak Prescott may restrict the team’s ability to acquire talent on the defensive side of the ball. This could result in the defense playing another bunch of young defenders chosen in the draft or signed as UDFAs (unwritten free agents *). Quinn began working as a defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks on a program that prioritized the development of young players. He took this approach with him to Atlanta, where he created a “Plan D” program that presented a comprehensive development plan for young Falcons players.
As part of the plan, coaches would spend time with the youngest player after training to give him extra reps to refine his skills and prepare him for bigger roles in the future. In addition, Quinn and his coaches would dedicate meeting time to the younger players to help them master the nuances of the scheme.
The extra time and individual attention devoted to the development process has paid off in Quinn’s previous stops and would certainly help the Cowboys’ defense to prepare a number of young defenders for important roles.
Do not underestimate the importance of hiring Joe Whitt, Jr ..
Despite all of Quinn’s brilliance as a defensive player, he needs an A-plus secondary coach on the team to help him get the championship product on the pitch. Whitt is the perfect man for the job of detail-oriented teacher and exceptional communicator. He will help young Cowboy advocates, particularly Trevon Diggs, Reggie Robinson and Donovan Wilson, master the techniques and skills to become game creators in a new scheme. Whitt’s detailed teaching helped Charles Woodson regain his All-Pro form with the Green Bay Packers, and was instrumental in the development of Tramon Williams, Sam Shields and Casey Hayward as leading defenders.
Considering his ties to Mike McCarthy and Quinn (and Al Harris), the decision to add Whitt brings more synergy to the coaching staff and gives Cowboys a proven secondary player developer.
Help is wanted: free security.
If Cowboys are planning to succeed with the Quinn scheme, the front office must find five-star free security to make it work. The free safety position is critical in a unique and high security scheme and the player who occupies the role must be a field player with an exceptional skill set. From instincts and awareness to numbers, the variation of numbers and skills with the ball and hands, the free security in this defense must be more than the ornament on the top of the Christmas tree. He must be able to discourage defenders from attacking in the field with his range and creative ability. In addition, the Cowboys’ perspective of free safety must be a reliable tackler with the ability to launch large runners or evasive pass catchers into the open ground. After ignoring the position for years, Cowboys will need to make free security a prominent position on the defensive priority list.