Cowboys’ new DC shares ‘2 most important’ changes in philosophy

The Dallas Cowboys’ decision to hire Christian Parker as their defensive coordinator signaled a culture reset on a unit that sputtered through one of the team’s worst defensive seasons on record.

The Cowboys ranked last in points allowed at 30.1 per game and were among the worst in the NFL in both pass and run. Clearly, Parker will have his hands full in fixing the defensive side.

In his introductory conference on Wednesday, the 34-year-old Parker mentioned two main aspects that he would like to base his philosophy on.

“Definitely stopping the run and affecting the quarterback are the two most important things you can do,” said Parker, as reported by dallascowboys.com’s Tommy Yarrish.

“If you can win first down and you’re strong on fundamentals, we’re getting off blocks, we’re tackling, we’re attacking the football, we’re situationally aware, those are the ones that are successful.”

Parker previously served as passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach for the Philadelphia Eagles. Now, he will inherit a totally different job.

He will feel the extra pressure, as the Cowboys remain one of the most popular teams in the NFL. Parker should be ready for harsh scrutiny the moment the defensive unit falters, even for just one game.

Parker has a lot of weapons to work with, including defensive tackles Quinnen Williams and Osa Odighizuwa, cornerback DaRon Bland, and defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, among others. He said he is excited to “bring it all together.”

“You want to build a package that has diversity in scheme, and you want to tailor it to the players you have. Of course, you have schematic fits, but I think the really good players are the ones you can’t peg into a certain scheme like that’s the only way they can play football,” added Parker.

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