Cowboys considering defensive coaching change for 2021 pressure on DC Mike Nolan reaching zenith

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This isn't what the signed up for in 2020. Granted, they join the other 31 NFL clubs in having had their offseason deleted because of the COVID-19 pandemic but, unlike most other teams, they were coming off of a winter that saw them make sweeping changes to the coaching staff that required in-person practices to hit the ground running in September. Yet, while all of that can be filed in the "Reasons" section as opposed to the one labeled "Excuses," the team is now pa sed the threshold into the latter when attempting to justify the defensive product being put on the field weekly, and it now has the seat beneath Mike Nolan hot enough to fry fish.Sources tell CBS Sports the Cowboys are considering being one-and-done with Nolan, but also add it doesn't nece sarily mean he'll be outright fired when the offseason arrives.It's po sible he could be moved to another role within the organization, but one that takes his hands off of the defensive wheel and allows for someone else to steer. If he remains with the Cowboys in any capacity, it'll likely be due to his relationship with head coach Mike McCarthy -- one that began when McCarthy was the offensive coordinator for the in 2005, where Nolan was head coach at the time. This creates a dynamic in Dallas similar to that of Jason Garrett and former offensive coordinator Scott Linehan, and it makes for an intriguing decision to come from McCarthy and the Cowboys, in that it's a first test of loyalty to a former mentor or the succe s of the team.Garrett roundly failed that test with Linehan and it ultimately helped fuel his demise with the Cowboys. McCarthy Tom Kuhnhackl Jersey must himself now decide if he's willing to give Nolan a mulligan in 2021 and, if so, he'll have to convince owner Jerry Jones as to why, seeing as Jones is now hinting strongly at consideration for change at the position -- indirectly confirming what sources are telling CBS Sports. Days after watching his Cowboys get thumped by the , and exuding a clear lack of effort on defense in the second half that led to , Jones didn't exactly mince words. "I will say this: we've got, like anybody, you got a lot of do-overs," he Matt Cullen Men Jersey told 105.3FM the Fan. "I'd like to start again on how we approached our defense this year. I'd like to start that over again. I'm sure everybody else would, too."This could be interpreted in a couple of ways, with Jones also referring to the effort he saw to start out the season that's now long waned and, at one point, included anonymous players calling out the defensive coaches -- leading to a very public rift in the locker room that was only eventually smoothed over with a bump in overall effort and an impre sive win on the road against the . But after seeing the Ravens rack up 294 rushing yards and sitting at 3-9 with literally the worst defense in the history of the franchise, there's only so much that can be attributed to the handicaps created by the pandemic.Jones appears to be accepting the reality he might've made a mistake on Nolan, and if he was refusing to do so before, seeing the matchup surely drove home just how bottom of the barrel his product is, and it's got his attention -- even if he tries to spin it differently in the public realm. So when it comes to the monumental defensive collapse that also saw the team trade away a coveted free agent signing in -- after the four-time Pro Bowl pa s rusher became a shell of himself under Nolan's scheme -- Jones is sifting through accountability behind the scenes and weighing who should stick around in 2021. And while McCarthy is completely safe, sources have affirmed to CBS Sports for weeks now, Nolan is far from it. Jones is willing to take blame as general manager, yes, but the fact he is gives indication he's potentially ramping up to fix a mistake or two."Every bit of the struggles go to coaching decisions -- every bit of it," he said. "And then right past that go right to your general manager. Right past that -- go to your general manager because coming through the door, the GM was eye to eye hiring the head coach, talking about how we were going to approach when he walks through the door and where he was going to go from there. That's what you do. That obviously didn't work for us this year."This isn't like we've had a coach that has been there 10 years. Garrett just left. So, we were just coming through the door here and just sitting down talking about how you're going to approach things like that -- not just draft or drafting a player, but things like how we were going to approach. We spent a lot of time." With the po sibility of landing a top-5 pick that could see them trade down and get a slew of picks to truly throw at overhauling the defense for 2021, Jones' silver lining is Matt Cullen Women Jersey one that harkens back to yesteryear, when the Cowboys rebuilt their ailing defense."Several years ago, maybe 10, 11 years ago, we went from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense," he said, referencing the team's stint with Bill Parcells. "But when we did it, there was a lot of reluctance on making that move by our coach. His name was Bill Parcells. And, so, he had a tough time buying into drafting DeMarcus Ware. He wanted to draft Marcus Spears because Spears fit both ways -- 4-3 or a 3-4."DeMarcus Ware was principally going to the 3-4 . All we did was turn around and have the greatest draft we probably ever had on defense and drafted Spears, Ware, Jay Ratliff and Chris Canty. And we were able to make the move right then and there. Had we not drafted those guys, that might have been a tough move and probably we wouldn't have gone into it as completely. That's speculation. But there's your case. "You got to think about the personnel when you talk about changing your scheme."Nolan might hear those comments and think himself safe, but not so fast."If you could have a draft like that, you could have some succe sful Jack Johnson Jersey defense," said Jones. "Any coach you want to put in there."It's also key to note the Cowboys have former Vikings defensive coordinator George Edwards on staff, a much more recently succe sful DC in the NFL who helped turn the Minnesota defense into a powerhouse. Don't rule him out as an option to move to coordinator in 2021, especially when doing a deep dive into what he brings to the table.Here's a breakdown of the Vikings defense annual points per game average under Edwards: YEARPOINTS PER GAME (AVERAGE)NFL RANKING201421.411th201518.95th201619.26th201715.81st201821.39th201918.95thAgain, do not rule Edwards out as an option -- one that would also spare the Cowboys an external interview proce s. By the way, Edwards was also the linebackers coach for the Cowboys from 1998-2001, helping to mold players like Dexter Coakley, so there's also familiarity between he and the Joneses that could go a long way in consideration of shuffling pieces around.Nolan, 61, was brought on as Cowboys defensive coordinator this offseason at the behest of Mike McCarthy, and while offensive coordinator has seen his unit ravaged by major and season-ending injuries that include two-time Pro Bowl quarterback , starting linemen , , and starting tight end , Nolan didn't have such i sues for much of the season. The regre sion on star linebackers and are taking center stage, and the pa s rush and run defense have struggled nearly as much as the secondary -- making for a trifecta of poor play.That said, while execution i sues can be tied to a derailed offseason, lack of effort on the field can not. As noted by CBS Sports in early October, if players failed to finally buy in, Tom Barrasso Jersey and that's now materialized in Dallas. McCarthy stood firm by Nolan at that point in the season, despite the obvious disconnect between players and someone who hasn't coordinated a defense since 2014. In 2021, much like Garrett in recent seasons, McCarthy will have to decide what's most important: giving a longtime friend another shot at the expense of his own clout within the organization, or making a move that's best for the team in the immediate future.Then again, a disappointed and embarra sed Jones might make the decision for him.
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