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I am hoping you could shed some light on why certain coaches are able to coach to their existing personnel while others seem to only coach their system, regardless of their personnel? And what kind of system would match the personnel the Cowboys have presently? – John Clark*/Newnan, GA*
Patrik: The problem with the Matt Eberflus hire wasn't the hire itself, but rather the rigidity in his philosophy once he arrived. The personnel in Dallas was one that relied heavily on a pass rush to help corners succeed who excelled in man coverage, specifically press man coverage, leading to a takeaway party under Dan Quinn. Shoehorning them into running zone 90 percent of the time was a recipe for disaster, and especially without a pass rush to shrink those windows. As the page turns to 2026, the same is true of the existing personnel, even with Trevon Diggs gone. DaRon Bland and Reddy Steward are better in man coverage, and that was the biggest green flag for Shavon Revel coming out of college.
The interior defensive line is figured out, and I'd keep the 4-3 scheme going (sidebar: nickel is base in the NFL now anyway), and hire a defensive coordinator that is not only flexible and wants to put players over scheme, but also one that fits the players that are here.
Tommy: To your first question, some coaches are able to find quicker success by adapting what they do systemically to their players' strengths as opposed to staying steadfast to a certain brand of defense, which can lead to success since you're taking advantage of what they do best. As for what would fit the Cowboys, I think a scheme that lets your corners play more press man would certainly tailor to the strengths of some of their best corners like DaRon Bland and Shavon Revel. If they're going to do that though, they'll also need a system that can get after the quarterback and create pressure so the secondary has more opportunities to make plays on the ball and create turnovers.
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