There seems to be a consensus that Dallas Cowboys fans love the team being on HBO’s Hard Knocks, while the coaching staff was not too eager to have the cameras following the team. Cowboys defensive line coach Aden Durde may have given the best example of why Mike McCarthy’s preference was to have training camp without a television audience.
During the season finale of Hard Knocks, viewers got a glimpse of a defensive line meeting heading into the Cowboys season opener against the Bucs. Durde implored the pass rushers to make Tom Brady “feel uncomfortable” adding a promise of a victory if the defensive line performs well.
“The No. 1 thing on Thursday night is we make 12 [Brady] feel uncomfortable every f****** snap,” Durde noted. “That’s what we want to win the game. Like, I was serious when I said, it starts with us and the team goes as we go. If we do our job on Thursday night, I promise you we win this game. How we rush is how we affect this team.”
To be clear, Durde was not trying to give the Buccaneers any bulletin board material, but all of the coach’s meetings are fair game during Hard Knocks. Cowboys fans may be hoping that Brady was not tuning in to Hard Knocks prior to the season opener as the legendary quarterback does not need any added motivation.
From Middlesex to Texas.
@LondonOlympians to @dallascowboys.
Cowboys Defensive Line coach Aden Durde is quickly becoming the star of Hard Knocks 🇬🇧😅.
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Arians on Cowboys Offense: ‘We’ve Got to Get Them in a One-Dimensional Game’
Neither coaching staff has been particularly shy about their gameplan heading into the season opener. Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians emphasized that Tampa Bay’s goal is to make the Cowboys offense “one-dimensional.”
“Offensively, it’s Ezekiel [Elliott], because it all starts with him and that big offensive line,” Arians told reporters on September 7th, per Buccaneers.com. “They’re going to try to run the football, so we’ve got to get them in a one-dimensional game there. Defensively, those two outside pass-rushers, DeMarcus Lawrence and [Randy] Gregory – they can disrupt a ballgame. Our tackles are going to have to play a great game [and] our tight ends are going to have to do a heck of a job in the running game.”
After 3 Seasons With the Falcons, Durde Enters His First Season Leading a Position Room
The Cowboys spent the offseason leaning on former Falcons coaches to retool their underperforming defense. Former Falcons head coach Dan Quinn is the team’s new defensive coordinator, and Durde is part of his staff after three seasons together in Atlanta. Durde coached the Falcons outside linebackers in 2020 after serving as the team’s defensive quality control coach during the previous two seasons, per The Dallas Morning News.
The England native became a Hard Knocks favorite receiving considerable air time during the docu-series. One player that appears to be ready to follow Durde’s advice is Cowboys pass rusher DeMarcus Lawrence. The Cowboys star took to social media to let fans know he is ready to “hunt” some Buccaneers playmakers.
“THIS WEEK. WE HUNT! 😤😤😤😤,” Lawrence tweeted on September 6th.
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Cowboys Coach ‘Promises’ Dallas Win Over Bucs, Puts Brady on Notice