Quinn’s diet, better suited to defense

As the Cowboys move on to the coaching staff, here are some thoughts on the situation for the Cowboys and some of the new defensive coaches.

Dan Quinn stepped in to restore the defensive culture.

The Cowboys’ defensive failures were due to a schematic mismatch and an environment that apparently lacked championship-level accountability and standards. While adjusting the system is important, reestablishing the tough, hardworking and competitive culture that previously existed with Rod Marinelli and Kris Richard at the helm. Quinn is cut from similar fabric with a detailed approach that emphasizes effort and execution rather than complexity and trickery. He believes in creating a fraternity within the unit that allows players to hold each other accountable for their performance and production. With Quinn urging the Cowboys to play for each other while upholding the championship standards he preaches and promotes every day in the boardroom and on the training ground, he should be able to get the defense playing. with the energy and effort needed to compete at an elite level.

The new program is better suited to star Cowboys players.

Quinn has experience coaching a 4-3 or 3-4 defense, but his 4-3 hybrid should be a perfect fit for the Cowboys’ top defensemen. Demarcus Lawrence, Jaylon Smith, Leighton Vander Esch and Randy Gregory are expected to benefit from the regime change with each defender positioned in a marquee spot in the top seven. Lawrence is the Cowboys’ best defenseman / pass defender and he should be able to attack the edge pocket from a three point position. Gregory is the explosive athlete perfectly suited to play the role of “LEO” on the open side. The 6-foot-5, 255-pound player is a monster athlete with the speed, quickness and explosion to harass quarterbacks as a weak side pass runner. Smith and Vander Esch are expected to reappear as difference-makers in a system that allows them to run and run as sideline defenders. The duo flourished in a similar pattern in 2018 with Marinelli and Richard putting each defender in prime positions to play.

The Cowboys’ defensive renaissance depends on the performance of their stars. Quinn’s program is expected to revive a unit that failed in 2020.

The development of young players becomes the number 1 priority.

The Cowboys’ likely commitment to Dak Prescott could limit the team’s ability to develop talent on the defensive end of the ball. This could cause the defense to play more of a group of young defenders picked up in the draft or signed as UDFA (undrafted free agents *). Quinn cut his teeth as a defensive coordinator with the Seattle Seahawks in 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 included a comprehensive development plan for young Falcons players.

As part of the plan, coaches would spend time with the young player after training to give them extra reps to hone their skills and prepare them for bigger roles later. Additionally, Quinn and his coaches would dedicate meeting time to younger players to help them master the nuances of the scheme.

The extra time and individual attention put into the development process has paid off in Quinn’s previous saves and it would certainly help the Cowboys defense prepare a host of young defenders for key roles.

Don’t underestimate the importance of hiring Joe Whitt, Jr.

For all of Quinn’s brilliance as a defensive play appeal, he needs an A-plus secondary coach on staff to help him put a championship product on the field. Whitt is the perfect man for the job of detailed teacher and exceptional communicator. He will help young Cowboys defensemen, especially Trevon Diggs, Reggie Robinson and Donovan Wilson, master the techniques and skills needed to become playmakers in a new pattern. Whitt’s detailed teaching helped Charles Woodson regain his All-Pro form with the Green Bay Packers, and he was instrumental in the development of Tramon Williams, Sam Shields and Casey Hayward as high-end defenders. .

Given his ties to Mike McCarthy and Quinn (and Al Harris), the decision to add Whitt brings more synergy to the coaching staff and gives the Cowboys a proven high school player developer.

Help wanted: free security.

If the Cowboys are to be successful with Quinn’s plan, the front office must find free five-star security to make it work. The free safety position is critical in a high level safety scheme and the player in the role must be a center player with an exceptional skill set. From instincts and awareness to numbers to the range of numbers to ball skills and hands, free safety in this defense has to be more than the ornament on top of the Christmas tree. He must be able to discourage quarterbacks from attacking on the court with his reach and ability to play. Also, the Cowboys’ potential free safety should be a reliable tackle with the ability to bring big body runners or unstable pass catchers to the ground into the open field. After ignoring the position for years, the Cowboys will need to make free safety high on the defensive priority list.