Cowboys News: Zimmer’s phone busy, key assistants staying, Romo flubbed Super Bowl moment
Mike Zimmer’s introductory press conference was the big news of the day in Cowboys Nation, with reporters getting their first glimpse of the defensive coordinator’s return to Dallas after many years away. We’ve got the details on what he had to say about the unit he’s inheriting, what he thinks about his reputation as “a jerk,” why his phone was ringing during his remarks, and what he had to say about Rex Ryan’s comments over the weekend. Bill Parcells has also weighed in on Zimmer’s hire, and we’ll look at why the disciplinarian may be the perfect foil to Mike McCarthy’s coaching style.
Elsewhere, Dan Quinn continues to assemble his staff in Washington, and his latest hires bring a decidedly familiar shade of blue to the Commanders. We’re looking at what free agency could do to some of the Cowboys who got the most playing time in 2023, two key Cowboys assistants seem set to return, a mock draft brings a dominant pass rusher to town, and how Tony Romo managed to blow the biggest call of Super Bowl LVIII. That’s all up in News and Notes.
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Updates: Harris, Prince expected to be retained | The Mothership
Mike Zimmer confirmed that the plan is for the defensive backs coach to stay. The team’s wide receivers coach is also expected to be back in 2024 after entering the offseason without a contract.
'Not trying to re-invent the wheel here': Mike Zimmer looks to boost 'pretty good' Cowboys defense | Cowboys Wire
In his introductory press conference, Zimmer admitted he’s walking into a good defensive room already. “We want to take the good things that they’ve done and maybe add a few more other things that we’ve done good in the past,” he said. He acknowledged that his fiery style sometimes paints him as “a jerk or something like that,” but explained that the best players want to be coached hard. Zimmer also denied any last-minute drama over coming to terms with the club, despite what Rex Ryan said.
Mike Zimmer should be yin to Mike McCarthy's Cowboys yang | Cowboys Wire
McCarthy and Zimmer may present as a good cop/bad cop duo within the Cowboys locker room. But the authoritarian Zimmer will almost certainly take “sloppy” and “undisciplined” out of the defense’s lexicon. McCarthy is seen as the player-friendly one, but Zimmer’s guys sure tend to love him forever… even if it comes after their playing days are done.
Cowboys DC Mike Zimmer gets stamp of approval from HoF coach Bill Parcells | Cowboys Wire
Parcells kept Zimmer on his Dallas staff when he arrived in 2003, recognizing him as someone who grew up with football around the kitchen table. Zimmer’s football IQ helped the Cowboys switch to Parcells’s favored 3-4 defense for the first time ever and earn a playoff berth shortly thereafter. But Parcells predicts some change coming for the Cowboys players, saying, “The ones that don’t like the truth are probably going to have a problem.”
Job-seeking coach called Mike Zimmer during his press conference | Michael Gehlken
Cowboys DC Mike Zimmer’s phone rang during news conference. He looked at who it was. Somebody calling about a job on the staff, he told Mike McCarthy. That process is at forefront of both coaches’ focus. pic.twitter.com/xsQbt2LwZT
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) February 14, 2024
Commanders hire Anthony Lynn to staff, finalize front office | ESPN
Dan Quinn’s staff will include yet another onetime Cowboy. Anthony Lynn will serve as the Commanders’ run game coordinator. Lynn is a McKinney native who was the Cowboys’ running backs coach in 2005 and 2006 before eventually moving on to a head coaching stint with the Chargers. He most recently worked for the 49ers this past season.
Commanders hire Ken Norton Jr. as linebacker coach | Commanders Wire
Norton was previously on staff with Quinn in Seattle. As a player, he was a second-round draft pick of the Cowboys in 1988 and spent six seasons in the star, winning two Super Bowls. He’ll now make his NFL return after two seasons spent at UCLA.
6 Cowboys free agents who played the most snaps in 2023 | Cowboys Wire
Some of the Cowboys set to hit free agency this March are among those who played the most snaps in 2023. Fans may debate whether it’s worth keeping Tyron Smith, Tyler Biadasz, Jayron Kearse, Tony Pollard, Jourdan Lewis, and Stephon Gilmore around, but it won’t necessarily be a simple matter of plugging a new body into their slots if they leave.
Marchand: On the Super Bowl’s biggest play, Tony Romo freelanced and lost | The Athletic
Romo’s overexcited patter blocked Jim Nantz from properly setting up the Chiefs’ final play from scrimmage Sunday night. Then he stepped all over a celebratory moment that should have been allowed to play out more simply for TV audiences as the final score settled in. Before that, the broadcast had been far from perfect, but it was mostly manageable. But CBS was certainly expecting more than “mostly manageable” from Romo when they gave him a $180 million contract and the biggest event in TV history.
2024 NFL Mock Draft: Broncos trade back into Round 1 for Bo Nix, Cardinals pick Rome Odunze, Byron Murphy II | CBS Sports
Chris Trapasso’s mock has Dallas going defense in the first round, selecting Florida State edge rusher Jared Verse with the 24th overall pick. Given that DeMarcus Lawrence is in the twilight of his career, the Cowboys may want to restock the edge-rusher shelf, and they do so here with a legit playmaker.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has at least 3 lawsuits against him. Where do they stand? | Dallas Morning News
Jones’s legal team has requested a new date of March 2025 for a trial in the case accusing the owner of kissing a woman on the mouth and forcibly grabbing her without consent at AT&T Stadium after a Cowboys game in September 2018. The paternity suit and the defamation suit (both with the same woman) are still ongoing.
