Report: Cowboys agree to terms with Mike Zimmer as defensive coordinator
The Dallas Cowboys finally have their new defensive coordinator. Mike Zimmer has agreed to terms with the Cowboys, according to a report from Tom Pelissero.
Pelissero previously reported last week that Dallas was expected to hire Zimmer. However, there were a few twists and turns after that.
Rex Ryan, who was reportedly also in the mix for the job, made headlines on Sunday ahead of the Super Bowl when he shared that from what he had heard, the deal with Mike Zimmer wasn’t done.
“First off, I’m not so sure Zimmer’s got that job right now,” Ryan said on the Super Bowl LVIII pregame show on ESPN. “Not that sure about that. I can honestly say that I don’t believe that’s a fact right now.”
However, now it appears that the Cowboys do indeed have their man and that Zimmer will be the defensive coordinator.
Zimmer is replacing Dan Quinn, who was hired as the head coach of the Washington Commanders this offseason. The 67-year-old most recently coached in the NFL as the head coach of the Vikings from 2014-2021. The Vikings made the playoffs three times under Zimmer, reaching the NFC Championship Game in 2017.
This is Zimmer’s second stint with the Cowboys as he previously worked as an assistant in Dallas from 1994-2006. From 2000-2006 he was the defensive coordinator for Dallas.
From there, he spent one season as the defensive coordinator for the Falcons, before being the defensive coordinator for the Bengals from 2008-13. The job he did in Cincinnati eventually landed him the Vikings head coaching job.
The 67-year-old Zimmer is used to coaching against Mike McCarthy. Now he will be joining him on the sidelines in Dallas. While Zimmer was in Minnesota, his Vikings played McCarthy’s Packers twice per season from 2014-18.
Jordan Love explains playoff gameplan that beat Cowboys to Micah Parsons
Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons heard it from the horse’s mouth. In this case, the horse was Jordan Love. In a recent conversation, the Green Bay Packers quarterback revealed what his team’s game plan was to defeat the Cowboys and advance in the NFL Playoffs.
“The key for us going into the game was we needed to run the ball,” Love said. “That was a huge thing. Obviously, we played y’all a year before and I felt like we ran the ball pretty well. I’m not trying to talk, but your linebackers — I think you had a DB playing linebacker.
“Our goal was to be able to run the ball and I was gonna set everything else up. Obviously, I think your biggest weapon is your pass rush. [You all have] some great DBs over there, too. But, I feel like they rely on the pass rush. When you got a great pass rush, you think the quarterback is gonna get the ball out of his hands quick and so we were able to take advantage of that.”
The Packers’ plan worked to perfection. In the 48-32 win, Green Bay amassed 143 rushing yards, averaging 4.3 yards per carry. With the Cowboys’ defense on its toes, the field opened up for Love. He took advantage.