(Editor's Note: Time to check the mail! The DallasCowboys.com staff writers answer your questions here in 'Mailbag' presented by Miller Lite.)
Has changing defensive coordinators and schemes over the past three seasons been a major reason for the Cowboys' struggles on defense? And now there could potentially be a fourth defensive coordinator in the last four years. How can the players deal with so much change? – Timothy Perry*/Carrollton, TX*
Patrik: I think it's a no-brainer that having three (now four) different defensive coordinators will create issues with development and production of talent, and especially for young players who, to this point, might have already had three different ones in their three seasons in the NFL. So when Jerry Jones spoke of the benefit of continuity, I agreed, but here's the other thing that is equally true that made me toss the continuity argument (that even I did agree with) out the door: you need to change until you get the right person for the job, instead of sticking with the wrong person for the job simply for the sake of having a familiar face and message.
The Cowboys' defense has been a mess since Dan Quinn left for the Commanders (and even his defense wasn't perfect, but it did a lot of things at an elite level, just not run defense). Each iteration since has had no identity whatsoever, no cohesiveness, no buy-in or connection between coach and players — just nothing, except terrible film on nearly a weekly basis. Another change was needed, and badly, and the bigger lesson here isn't to be allergic to correcting a frequent mistake, it's to figure out how to stop making frequent mistakes and to get the next hire right; and that's how you solve the struggles tied to lack of continuity.
Tommy: It's absolutely been a part of the reason, yes. It is very difficult to expect players to develop year after year when they're being taught different things year in and year out, and from different voices and schemes as well. That's why continuity is important at the position, and it's something the Cowboys have struggled with, partially because of their own doing but also because other defensive coordinators they've had have moved on, like Dan Quinn and Mike Zimmer. That's why this next hire is so crucial for Dallas, because with the influx of young, high-end talent the Cowboys are expected to have on defense, a consistent, steady voice on the defensive side of the ball is going to be crucial for the development of the players and the unit as a whole.
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