No doubt, Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker is taking a level of flak that does not normally come the way of a first-year coordinator. That’s not necessarily his fault. Fact is, the Cowboys did not do a whole lot to truly upgrade the level of personnel for the unit back in the winter–there were new names, but not better talent. And the Cowboys did Parker no favors by hyping up his arrival as a change in direction for the franchise and lauding him as a future head coaching candidate, both of which happened in interviews with owner Jerry Jones in the spring.
But the facts are the facts: Parker’s defense is among the worst in the NFL. They’re 31st in yards allowed, 32nd in rushing yards allowed, they’ve forced just two turnovers and do no have an interception. They allow 7.8 net yards per pass attempt, which is 31st in the league, and a 121.6 passer rating, 32nd. In other words, they don’t stop the run, they don’t pressure the quarterback, and they don’t cover anyone.
Cowboys Defense ‘Very Fixable’
This week, the Cowboys created a stir saying that Parker will add a senior advisor to the staff, former head coach and long time defensive coordinator Mike Pettine, and that Parker would move up from the sideline to the coaches’ booth. Parker then reversed that on Thursday, saying he will be staying on the sideline.
But Parker is keeping a positive outlook. He told reporters on Thursday, when asked how fixable the issues on the defensive side of the ball were: “Very fixable because they’re under our control.”
Christian Parker: Defense Suffers ‘Self-Inflicted Wounds’
What’s been odd for Parker is that he does not think the Cowboys showed the sloppiness they’re showing now during the spring or in training camp. The Cowboys he has seen on tape are just not what he was expecting. It does seem, at times, that Parker has been a step behind what his defense has been doing.
Said Parker (via ESPN’s Todd Archer): “Overall just some uncharacteristic things going from the spring to training camp that we didn’t really do relative to whether it’s execution, whether it’s the fundamental detail, me in terms of getting a call in on time, things like that.
“Some things were not just as buttoned up, and you didn’t really see that coming just based off the performance previously. So I think that’s when you got to step back and figure out, ‘OK how can we get back to what we were doing in that mode?’ Sometimes what happens is you get into a season and you’re so worried about the opponent, (but) you’ve got to worry about yourself and what you’re doing internally. It’s been a lot of self-inflicted wounds these first five games by us.”
Cowboys’ Embattled Christian Parker Sends Message on Defensive Woes