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FRISCO, TX — Wax on, wax off. Changes were promised by the Dallas Cowboys and, to their credit, they are making good on their word after a humiliating loss to the winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers, at home, and in primetime. In the interviews to follow, the tone was exactly as it should've been: fuming.
Only feet away from his team's locker room after the loss, Cowboys' owner, president and general manager Jerry Jones said he was "extraordinarily disappointed", quarterback Dak Prescott had a frustrated exchange with a chauffeur that went viral, and head coach Brian Schottenheimer, very clearly pissed off, said "everything" was "absolutely" on the table for evaluation.
"Nothing is more dangerous than an old man with money." - Jerry Jones
He has since executed a blockbuster trade to acquire Joey Porter Jr. and, now, he and Schottenheimer, with the assistance of defensive coordinator Christian Parker, have successfully wooed Mike Pettine, one of the most respected defensive minds in the NFL, out of retirement and into the building to reunite with one of his prize pupils who is trying to navigate his first-ever season as a defensive coordinator.
Trust Fall
This is a move of trust, not to supplant Parker, and I want to be clear on that, after having added conversations inside the building following the announcement on Monday.
Whatever might happen down the road is unknown, but this move is in no way, shape or form designed to "light a fire" under Parker.
"Christian Parker is our defensive coordinator, and everything, all decisions will run through him." - Brian Schottenheimer
It's to bring in one of his most trusted advisors and mentors to help guide him to finding his footing as a DC in the NFL, and it makes perfect sense when you consider it was Pettine that gave Parker his first crack at coaching in the NFL when the former hired the latter as defensive coordinator of the Packers.
It was then that Pettine hired Parker as defensive quality control coach in Green Bay, effectively laying the foundation for where is today. And speaking to the trust grounding the move, Parker was one hoping the Cowboys would add Pettine to the staff in the offseason, but the need for a break from football kept Pettine from accepting the job at the time.
"One of the things we first looked at, when putting our staff together, was hiring a senior defensive assistant." - Stephen Jones to 105.3 the Fan
Additionally, Pettine has a pre-existing relationship with Schottenheimer from their time spent together with the New York Jets, adding to the trust factor between all involved.
Another change will considered, along with the addition of Pettine, was Parker moving to the booth to call plays instead of on the sideline where he did so through the first five games of the season, giving him a different perspective entirely.
In the end, he'll remain on the sideline and likely send Pettine to the booth instead.
Either, Orr ...
As a related aside, one of the hottest names in the most recent coaching cycle was Zach Orr. He was formally interviewed by the Cowboys before they ultimately chose the fast-rising Parker, but it should be remembered that what's occurring in Dallas between Pettine and Parker previously happened in Baltimore — the Ravens brought in experienced defensive mind Dean Pees to help guide Orr as a first-year coordinator in 2024.
Two short years later, Orr, again, is one of the most sought-after coordinators in the NFL, and Pees is still on-staff in Baltimore in the same role, senior advisor, with no goal of pushing out the guy he was brought into help.
Add the depth of relationship between Pettine, Schottenheimer and Parker that doesn't necessarily exist between Pees and Orr and it's difficult to fathom a coach who, by the way, also wanted to retire, would have ulterior motives in wanting his own defense in Dallas only months after telling the NFL goodbye.
Pett Project
Be it the front office or Schottenheimer, there are zero thoughts of Pettine doing anything more than what they brought him in to do: guide his mentee, and to offer up different ideas that he knows are proven, likely also inserting certain aspects of Rex Ryan's "go get the QB" schematic into what Parker is building.
Not to be forgotten in all of this is the time Pettine spent with Brian Flores in helping to form the Vikings hair-on-fire defense because, again, that more aggressive style of defense will likely find its way onto the field soon in Dallas … or at least that's part of the plan.
The ultimate plan is for Christian Parker to be one of the best defensive coordinators in the NFL, and for the team that gave him first crack at it.
Nobody ever accused Mister Miyagi of wanting to step in to fight Cobra Kai for Daniel LaRusso, and all Pettine wants is for his student's defense to stop letting offenses sweep the leg.
