Christian Parker did more than deny move to the coaching booth, as many overlook biggest detail revealed by Dallas Cowboys DC
The Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator finally commented on where he will be calling the plays from in Week 6 after Jerry Jones claimed he’s moving to the coaching booth.
Well, either Jerry Jones lied to Dallas Cowboys fans or he significantly misspoke. But come Sunday Night Football, defensive coordinator Christian Parker expects to be calling the plays from the sideline like he did the first five weeks of the season, not from the booth.
Jones said matter-of-factly earlier in the week that Parker was moving to the booth. He even was asked to clarify if that’s what he meant and he doubled down on his stance. On Wednesday, head coach Brian Schottenheimer said no decisions had been made and Parker added more clarity on Thursday.
“Still working through some of [those decisions],” Parker told reporters. “But most likely, I’m going to be [on the sidelines] still.”
Parker admitted there were advantages to both but cited his familiarty with the sideline as one of the reasons why he’s leaning toward staying downstairs. Though the headline is Parker is most likely staying put from the sidelines, he did confirm something else that is bigger than his location on the stadium.
Parker reveals potential change was his idea
Asked who initiated the discussion of potentially moving upstairs, Parker said it originated from him.
“Me,” Parker said. “I think we referenced it in the press conferences in Oxnard [during training camp]. I was going back and forth in terms of what I wanted to do.”
That is a major relief and probably a bigger deal than where he’s actually calling the plays from. When Jones first told the media Parker was moving to the booth, my biggest concern was if that’s something he truly wanted. Or if it was an indication given by Schottenheimer or the front office.
Heck, it’s hard to believe Matt Eberflus wanted to move to the booth for his final three games as the Cowboys DC last year. It would’ve been really bad if the team forced Parker’s arm five weeks into his play-calling career.
With Parker being a DC, though, his version of events is believable. His previous boss, Vic Fangio, calls the Philadelphia Eagles defense from the booth. He’s figuring things out and there’s nothing wrong with looking into a change after such a rough start.
Parker staying put also suggests the Cowboys aren’t quite pressing the panic button. Hopefuly the long week yielded some productive adjustments—scheme and personnel-wise.
But for now, expect to see him on the sidelines for at least one more game.
