Twitter reacts to Mike Zimmer’s return to Cowboys as new DC
The Dallas Cowboys have concluded their search for a new defensive coordinator and are bringing back a familiar face. All-in was the phrase Jerry Jones used to describe their approach to the offseason, but it’s questionable whether he intended to be replacing his DC in a season when the head coach, Mike McCarthy, didn’t have much job security. With Dan Quinn departing to lead the way for the rival Washington Commander, Jones and company set out to replace him atop the defensive totem.
That decision landed Mike Zimmer a new job. Out of football for the last two seasons, Zimmer brings a wealth of experience to the table. This will be his third head coach he’s coordinated for in Dallas alone, on the heels of extensive time as the head coach in Minnesota, where he squared off against McCarthy for years.
Twitter, or X if you’re so inclined, had a lot to say about the pursuit and the hire. There’s a wide gamut of reactions to bringing Zimmer in. Some don’t think Dallas’ hiring pool was deep enough, and there are various thought processes as to why the search mostly focused on former head coaches who have been in the league for a long time.
Others believe Zimmer brings a tenacity to Dallas that had been mising and still others chimed in with statistical evidence as to what they expect as the Cowboys look to turn the page from Quinn’s defense that was strong overall, but still had obvious weaknesses when it mattered most.
Here’s a collection of tweets discussing the hiring of Zimmer.
please consult the chart cowboys twitter https://t.co/f7nwFt6VK5 pic.twitter.com/NcepgJndBK
— Michael Realman (@trichesfaucons) February 1, 2024
I didn't bother to make this chart nice, so I'll just lead with how I interpret it:
Further right = Better underlying pass defense results against the Shanahan tree of playcallers since 2017
Further up = Better results against all other offenses (over a much > sample) pic.twitter.com/DLan7zAT3s
— Cowboys Stats & Graphics (@CowboysStats) February 2, 2024
Former #Cowboys All-Pro @roywilliams31 talking about Mike Zimmer during an interview on The @3RonJohnson Show in 2022.
Williams respects Zimmer and his “tough love” coaching style, which got the best out of him in Dallas 🤟
(🎥: @LockedOnMIN YT) pic.twitter.com/8jDJM6ISFO
— Brandon Loree (@Brandoniswrite) February 4, 2024
Hiring Zimmer wasn't about making the team better .. it was more so sitting on your hands and let top defensive minds get plucked while you sat waiting on Dan Quinn and you ran out of options .. and he was just the best of whatever was left
— J Tuck (@jtuck151) February 9, 2024
I'll be incredibly happy if/when Mike Zimmer does a wonderful job with the Dallas Cowboys defense.
But that the Cowboys just picked someone who they knew in the past who hasn't been in the NFL in a few years and that so many people immediately ate it up is amazing given how much…
— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) February 9, 2024
No more player friendly coaching. The #Cowboys dynasty started with Jimmy Johnson and his tough love coaching. Mike Zimmer is going to bring that back into that locker room.#CowboysNation @LandryHat https://t.co/fDNTagkeMs pic.twitter.com/lRY9Pnyevd
— Terence Watson (@Watson703) February 9, 2024
Mike Zimmer day 1 of totally not optional training days in Frisco pic.twitter.com/4OURdLusYy
— Burgers and Blitzes (@Not2BeTrite) February 2, 2024
Zimmer gonna tell Micah he's light in the ass and has a lot to say for a guy with two pass rush moves.
— Burgers and Blitzes (@Not2BeTrite) February 5, 2024
Mike Zimmer 👇.(Note, he was the HC in Minnesota but called their defense the whole time.) Lots of top 10 units. pic.twitter.com/AbykFFouT9
— Matt Owen (@ProfessorO_NFL) February 9, 2024
Each defensive unit faces roughly 1,000 plays in a typical regular season.
The faded black dots represent Zimmer's raw defensive results at each job in brief "sprints" — basically four- or five-game stretches.
The blue line is a summary of all his coaching stops. https://t.co/D8yN6ffrtf pic.twitter.com/vlNdIDSRJp
— Cowboys Stats & Graphics (@CowboysStats) February 6, 2024
Former #Vikings HC Mike Zimmer talking with @PAOnTheMic on “X’s and O’s” in 2021 about his relationship with #Cowboys Jerry Jones and the impact he’s made on his career 🤟 https://t.co/0GgUgODe0k pic.twitter.com/hxQEvV99KI
— Brandon Loree (@Brandoniswrite) February 4, 2024
Where Mike Zimmer defenses ranked by DVOA (2010-2021), courtesy of @FTNFantasy:
– 2010 (Bengals DC): 23
– 2011 (Bengals DC): 16
– 2012 (Bengals DC): 9
– 2013 (Bengals DC): 4
– 2014 (Vikings HC): 27
– 2015 (Vikings HC): 10
– 2016 (Vikings HC): 5
– 2017 (Vikings HC): 1
– 2018…— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) February 3, 2024
Great hire for the @dallascowboys Mike Zimmer is back!!
— tony casillas (@tccasillas) February 9, 2024
Former #Cowboys DE Marcus Spears thinks Mike Zimmer’s his journey back to the NFL is similar to Mike McCarthy's.
He believes Zimmer’s success against "Shanahan offenses" could be enticing to Dallas.
Dallas was 1-3 (w/ playoffs) against that system in 2023 🤟
(🎥: @ESPNNFL YT) pic.twitter.com/LBpyhuuzy7
— Brandon Loree (@Brandoniswrite) February 6, 2024
Mike Zimmer's comments back when Mike McCarthy was fired by the Packers: pic.twitter.com/npn9UNCZ4g
— David Howman (@_DH44_) February 5, 2024
Refreshed after two years away, Mike Zimmer has been preparing for this opportunity as #Cowboys defensive coordinator, as he explained recently on The Insiders: pic.twitter.com/49rpRJwbFB
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 9, 2024
Here's the "peak" Zimmer defensive era in Minnesota. Four straight seasons where they never once fell out of the top quartile in underlying strength against the pass.
And over a separate five-season span in Cincinnati (2009-2013), Zimmer's results were arguably even better. pic.twitter.com/VpazoQpmjY
— Cowboys Stats & Graphics (@CowboysStats) February 4, 2024
A typical Zimmer experience:
1) First-year Zimmer defenses have a steep learning curve.
2) They're often playoff-caliber by the end of their 1st regular season.
3) By mid-Season 2, they arrive among the NFL's elite.
4) This timeline is far ahead of a typical Rivera-coached unit.— Cowboys Stats & Graphics (@CowboysStats) February 5, 2024
Zimmer’s been successful at every stop with different players and schemes. Helped D-Ware’s development first two years here. Known as a 4-3 guy but adapted to 3-4 under Parcells.
Good hire, but the personnel side is critical. Speed is important but have to add size/depth at LB.
— Rob Phillips (@robphillips3) February 9, 2024
WELCOME BACK COACH ZIMMER#DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/A5eN8xHjJ3
— Cowboys CanFan (@CowboysCanFan) February 9, 2024
Mike Zimmer isn’t really big on blitzing a lot but does dial up the right pressures at the right time.
Something this defense has missed lately…
The ability to change the picture for the Qb
Solid break down via @mikerenner_ pic.twitter.com/n0prVyXEmQ
— (Foots The King) (@FootsDaKing) February 4, 2024
When you peep those numbers on Mike Zimmer against the Shanahan tree guys. pic.twitter.com/5LltFoXZHf
— MartinTalkCowboys (@DAK_4_MVP) February 3, 2024
Mike Zimmer fits the Cowboys' aggressiveness even if his way of going about it differs from Quinn's.
This sort of looks are all over the film when you dive into his games. pic.twitter.com/kb3EJ9pGuq
— Mauricio Rodríguez (@MauNFL) February 5, 2024
Ranking all pass defense unit seasons since 2006 by a predictive weighting of target quality, CPOE and YAC
Number of seasons in the top quartile:
Zimmer — 9
Vrabel — 0
Rivera — 5
Quinn — 3Number of seasons in the bottom quartile:
Zimmer — 1
Vrabel — 1
Rivera — 5
Quinn — 3— Cowboys Stats & Graphics (@CowboysStats) February 4, 2024
Out of all the likely DC candidates I've seen, give me Mike Zimmer tbh
— John Owning (@JohnOwning) February 2, 2024
Mike Zimmer is either going to get the absolute best version of Sam Williams imaginable or hate him.
Should be an interesting season lol
— Matt Owen (@ProfessorO_NFL) February 9, 2024
This would be fantastic for Dallas. Sim pressures are the rage right now and Zimmer is one of the sim OGs https://t.co/tZH1wgS7j6
— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) February 3, 2024
Another former Cowboys player with insight on Mike Zimmer.
P.S. Put Woody in the Hall Of Fame. #ShockTheSystem pic.twitter.com/boh9K8rjEF
— ✭ Your_Guy_Nix ✭ (@Your_Guy_Nix) February 9, 2024
#Cowboys new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer is bringing the toughness and accountability we have all been asking for. pic.twitter.com/ZhxhiTO4QW
— Ernie (@es3_09) February 9, 2024
How will the Zimmer affect the draft?
Anthony Barr
Eric Kendricks
Danielle hunterA few names he’s hit on.
— (Foots The King) (@FootsDaKing) February 9, 2024
The #Cowboys have been one of the most penalized teams in football the past 4 years while also being a soft team. Mike Zimmer will change the culture. pic.twitter.com/8JlURTCKma
— Ernie (@es3_09) February 9, 2024
Zimmer on Day 1:
"okay Bones. Why the **** are you using my pass rusher, Williams, on ST? Don't do that ever again"
— Matt Owen (@ProfessorO_NFL) February 9, 2024
We bullied them into the right choice! https://t.co/c1xUsRNEqZ
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) February 9, 2024
Very happy. DAL's defensive scheme just got an upgrade.
Now, don't be surprised if it takes a few weeks into the regular season to get the kinks worked out, but I expect the DAL defense to be playing its best ball when it matters most (health permitting, of course) https://t.co/EIC4tXUlAx
— John Owning (@JohnOwning) February 9, 2024
https://t.co/xORTTHiQ6b pic.twitter.com/6QM8xt9DUC
— Joey Ickes (@JoeyIckes) February 9, 2024
There's a big part of me glad they hired Zim.
There's a bigger part that's glad they didn't hire Rivera.
He's now worked for Jimmy, Parcells and McCarthy in Dallas.
— Chalupa Batman アダム (@TwoBitWhackJob) February 9, 2024
This is a good hire. Mike Zimmer is terrifying (both as a DC and just like, personally for me) https://t.co/CA0wBqK1C1
— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) February 9, 2024
ngl i'm very excited about this https://t.co/iZzXBrgpCL
— Arif Hasan, but NFL 🏈 (@ArifHasanNFL) February 9, 2024
zimmer is actually #good i think, and one of the few available candidates who might even be an upgrade over quinn. promising hire
will be interesting to see how quickly he can get a pretty talented group up to speed in his system
— Cowboys Stats & Graphics (@CowboysStats) February 9, 2024