Scheme expert explains why Dallas Cowboys’ latest coaching hire is going to help the defense in a major way
The Dallas Cowboys brought in Mike Pettine to do a lot of things. But there’s a tangible effect fans should expect from his arrival.
One thing is clear about the Dallas Cowboys’ hire of Mike Pettine as senior defensive assistant: He brings experience to a vastly unexperienced coaching staff.
But that’s quite ambigous, isn’t it? So is head coach Brian Schottenheimer’s explanation of his role. He’s here to support Parker. Okay, cool. But how?
Scheme expert Cody Alexander, a football coach and author of multiple books, joined 105.3 The Fan to talk about the Pettine hire earlier in the week and he pinpointed where Pettine’s efforts should be felt the most.
Pettine to help the Cowboys’ defensive front
“I think (defensive coordinator Christian Parker) has an understanding of the back end, especially with (pass game coordinator) Derrick Ansley being on the staff,” Alexander said on radio. “I think he needs somebody that can come in and do quality control on the front end and maybe give some suggestions, whether it’s run-down pressures, attacking protections on third down, fitting the run, or how we can maybe leverage some of the pieces that we have up front to better defend the run.”
That should encourage Cowboys fans worried about Pettine and Parker having some sort of power struggle over the defense. Pettine’s expertise up front can complement Parker’s specialty on the secondary. It won’t undermine it.
“Those are going to be things that Mike Pettine, whose last stop was with the Vikings, can help with,” Alexander added. “He worked with (Cowboys DL coach) Marcus Dixon as the outside linebacker coach. So, being on the same page, speaking the same language, and then kind of fixing that run defense while the secondary gets healthy.”
Where can the Cowboys defense front improve?
Will Pettine’s impact be easy to spot or will it be subtle? Alexander leans the latter. Don’t expect the Cowboys to change the fundamentals of their scheme. Don’t expect this to become the Brian Flores defense. Instead, Pettine should help out the Cowboys in “little things.”
“It’s little things,” said Alexander about the Cowboys’ woes up front. “When you watch the tape, it’s a guy rocking back instead of fitting in the gap that he’s supposed to, or it’s a defensive lineman who doesn’t hold the gap, trying to make plays. I think you have different things at the point of attack where guys aren’t fitting where they’re supposed to be. But it’s little things.”
The Cowboys defensive staff is young and inexperienced. Frankly, it’s looking like the front office underestimated how overwhelmed it could be early on. Enter Pettine, who isn’t coaching a specific position but taking a holistic approach instead.
“Having a senior voice in there, coming in here and kind of streamlining how that’s going to fit, hopefully that will show up, especially with that veteran presence that you have on the interior of the defensive line,” Alexander concluded.
It would be unfair to expect the Cowboys to reap the results immediately as Pettine is only getting settled in. But boy, do they need it. The Cowboys are dead last in just about every defensive statistic you pick. And at 2-3, there’s little margin for error.
