Resolution to the New Season
At the end of the team’s season, the Dallas Cowboys let go of former Head Coach Jason Garrett. Although, it took multiple days for this to happen, many knew the departure was coming. There were rumors about the possibility of him becoming part of the Cowboys front office. In the end, this was not the case, and both sides decided to go in their separate ways. There is no doubt that Jason Garrett will eventually find work on another team at any level. Due to this decision, there were moves at many positions made not to long after. Below are the changes that have been made to the staff so far.
Head Coach
There’s a new sheriff in town, and his name is Mike McCarthy. Mike McCarthy agreed to a 5-year contract with the Dallas Cowboys, not long after they moved on from Coach Garrett. McCarthy is the former Head Coach of the Green Bay Packers. He is well-known for many of the match-ups he had against the Cowboys. One of these would be the 2014 Playoff match-up, when he challenged the ruling on the field of Dez Bryant’s catch. His record in his career for the Packers was 125-77-2 through 13 seasons. He also appeared in the playoffs 9 out of his 13 seasons (including 8 consecutive appearances). McCarthy won a Super Bowl in his 5th season with the Packers. Personally, I believe this was a great hire, and will be an improvement from what we saw last season.
Offensive Line Coach
Recently, we have learned that the Dallas Cowboys let go of former Cowboys Offensive Lineman, and Offensive Line Coach Marc Colombo. There is no official hire for this position yet, but one person that is being looked at closely is former Packers, Colts, and Dolphins coach Joe Philbin. Philbin has held many different coaching positions on each team he has been on. One of which was Offensive Coordinator of the Packers when they won the Super Bowl. During the time that he held that position, the team was always in the top 10 for offense in points scored, and yards.
Defensive Coordinator
Last season, the Cowboys had Co-Defensive Coordinators with Rod Marnielli and Kris Richard both holding the position. Neither coach is likely to stick around with the team for next season. Following this decision, the Cowboys announced that Mike Nolan would fill in for this position. Nolan has been around the league for quite a while, and has had great defenses. His latest work was as the New Orleans Saints Linebackers Coach. However, he is most notably known for his work as the Defensive Coordinator of the Denver Broncos (2009), and the Baltimore Ravens (2002-2004). During his one season with the Broncos, his defense had the fewest points scored against through six games (66 points). In his 21 seasons, 10 of them his defenses finished in the top 10 in turnovers. The Dallas Cowboys haven’t finished top 10 in interceptions since 2014.
Defensive Line Coach
In past years, the defensive line has been a top priority for former Defensive Coordinator Rod Marnielli. With him heading out the door, the Cowboys are getting Jim Tomsula to fill this role. Tomsula’s latest work was with the Washington Redskins. He also previously held this position (along with eventually being Head Coach) for the San Francisco 49ers. Many of Tomsula’s defensive lines have been young, and talented. As for the Dallas Cowboys, their defensive line is fairly young, and talented. They are also always looking for ways they can improve those positions as well.
Special Teams Coach
In the previous season, there seemed to be a lack of a special teams unit for the Dallas Cowboys in every area. For the majority of the season, the field goal team struggled to make kicks. This eventually changed with the signing of Kai Forbath. Neither kickoff or punt return teams were a strong area on special teams. This was not because we didn’t have a good enough returner, because both Randall Cobb and Tavon Austin are known for their abilities. The reason for this would be the lack of willingness from the Special Teams coaching. With the hiring of John Fassal, I believe that factor will indeed change. Fassal used to coach Tavon Austin when he played for the then St Louis (and now Los Angeles) Rams. Fassal also has a great resumé when it comes to developing special teams players. He has seven players that are included in his resumé, these players are: Sebastian Janokowski, Shane Lechler, Jon Condo, Greg Zuerlein, Johnny Hekker, Jake McQuaide, and Tavon Austin. If you like to see exciting special teams plays, we may be in for a treat in the upcoming future.
Who’s My Favorite and What Else is to Come
Out of all of these hires, Mike McCarthy being the new Head Coach may be my favorite. I believe that he has had a great career as a coach in the past, and he will be trying to add onto that. He will be bringing a different sort of mentality to the team that the Cowboys will need if they want to be considered great. McCarthy will also bring a lot to the offensive identity of the Dallas Cowboys that has already been established. Moving forward there are various rumors going around about other positions on the coaching staff that can change. One rumor that is floating around is the possibility of moving on from QB Coach Jon Kitna. Kitna was loved by many fans in his first season for his work with Dak Prescott. This rumor is not for certain, but things can definitely change at any time. I will follow up with any other potential news in the near future.
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