5 takeaways massage from Mike Zimmer’s to Dallas Cowboys players after……..

5 takeaways  massage from Mike Zimmer’s to Dallas Cowboys players after……..

Woodson says new DC Mike Zimmer ‘isn’t gonna be their friend’ – Nick Eatman, DallasCowboys.com

 Dallas’ new DC brings an intensity that every defense should have.About 30 years ago, Darren Woodson was coming off his first Pro Bowl selection, to go along with two Super Bowl rings. In three seasons, he was already considered one of the NFL’s best safeties.

And then Mike Zimmer was named the new secondary coach heading into the 1995 season and it wasn’t long before he asked Woodson to visit him in his new office.

“He sat me down and we pulled out the tape and we went over every one of my bad plays from the previous year,” Woodson recalled. “It was terrible. Here I was thinking I was a pretty good player and he wanted to go over all of the things I didn’t do well the year before. I hated that. I didn’t sleep for four or five days. But it made me better.”

Woodson did get better, making the Pro Bowl four straight times and he would eventually become the Cowboys’ all-time leading tackler.

Last week, Woodson learned that he once again was not included in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, despite being a finalist. But at least he found out some good news with the hiring of Zimmer as defensive coordinator once again in Dallas.

Now, Zimmer is set to join McCarthy’s staff and there’s one thing he is sure to bring, according to Woodson.

“Toughness. A toughness and a shock to the system for sure,” Woodson said. “He’s going to do it in a way where you’re going to have to be tough and show up to practice with a tough mindset. He’s going to challenge you. He’s not going to be their friend. He’s going to put you in positions where you’re probably not going to like him, but you’re going to respect him.”

“He’s just a damn good coach. He shows up and puts the time in. You know he’s putting the work in,” Woodson said. “He’s a believer in his system. He’s a firm believer in what he does. There’s no backing up, dude. He’s not playing on his heels. There’s nothing soft here. He’s going to come and bring a toughness to that team.”

Why Mike Zimmer’s fiery personality is exactly what the Dallas Cowboys need right now – Kevin Sherrington, DMN

Sherrington thinks Zimmer will push his players, maybe exactly what the Cowboys need.

Asked what hasn’t changed about him since he left the Cowboys in 2006, he said, “Competitiveness . . . Being technique-oriented, being fundamental. Disciplined. Those are the kinds of things that get me . . .”

Pause.

“Grouchy.”

At the risk of sounding like the old man the mirror suggests, the Cowboys could use a little grouchiness. They need someone even a diva like Deion loved specifically because Zimmer held him accountable. Great players always want to be coached up, Zimmer said. He concedes he was “probably too hard” on a lot of his charges, but there’s always been a reason for it. He wasn’t just out to be “the mean guy,” as he put it.

Winning is hard, and sometimes, no matter how talented you are, you need to be pushed. Zimmer will push. He will also curse, scream, sizzle, boil, implode. Some won’t like it. Maybe most. But the results speak for themselves. The Cowboys could use some of that. Welcome back, Zim. Here’s hoping you haven’t evolved too much.

Mike Zimmer is back in Dallas as DC to win a title – Clarence Hill, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Zimmer explains why he’s back in Dallas and what the holdup with his contract was.

He’s here, 18 years since his departure, to the help the Cowboys win championship again. The 2024 season that has already been declared as an “all-in” campaign by Jones and one that’s a make-or-break final run for McCarthy, who is in the last year of his contract.

“There is no other reason,” Zimmer said. “My grandkids are fine and all that, but I can see them any time. I didn’t come here to do all the work that we need to do if we’re not trying to win a championship. They have won 12 games in three straight years, right on the cusp. I think they have done a great job with the personnel on the team, good coaching staff. That’s the number one goal. I didn’t come to be average this year.”

The Cowboys and Zimmer reportedly came to terms last Thursday, but the deal didn’t become official until Monday. Although another team had approached him about a job, he said there is no other place he wanted to be but to come to Dallas. He blamed the holdup on an illness.

“My daughter, who lives with me was torn up for a few days, and she got me sick,” Zimmer said. “I was in bed for a couple days, and then the Super Bowl was going on. We kind of slow-played it and went from there. There wasn’t any intense negotiations or anything like that here. I knew I wanted to be here. I knew they wanted me to be here.”

What the Cowboys front office can learn from the two Super Bowl teams – Dan Rogers, BloggingTheBoys.com

Perennial conference championship game appearances mean Dallas can learn a thing or two from the 49ers and Chiefs.

When you look at both rosters (49ers & Chiefs), two important factors apply to each team. First and foremost, they must have a good quarterback. Expensive or cheap, they need to be able to make plays. Second, there needs to be enough talent spread out around them. But again, that doesn’t necessarily mean a lot of money has to be thrown around at certain positions. The Super Bowl Champions have shown that they can survive without spending a lot on defense if they have enough young pieces.

The Cowboys are throwing heavy funds at the “money five” positions, which it’s hard to argue is a bad thing. Premium positions cost premium bucks. We already know the Cowboys go cheap at defensive tackle, they also skimp at safety, and they’ve recently decided to spend less at linebacker.

Their approach isn’t a bad one as long as their quarterback is good enough and they’re providing enough talent around him. With that in mind, the Cowboys’ plan should be as follows:

Extend Prescott – We can debate for days about whether or not Prescott is “the guy” but he just finished second in the NFL MVP voting so some people out there think he’s pretty good.

Secure the line – If you expect your quarterback to be successful, then they have to keep him upright. Prioritizing the offensive line to make sure Prescott has time to operate is crucial.

Fix the holes – The front office is really good at replenishing roster spots with young talent who can perform. In the last five drafts, they’ve selected four Pro Bowl players who were taken on Day 3 of the draft. They can find the talent, but they must be able to be honest with themselves about where they are weak and address those positions. We need to see some improvements at the defensive tackle and linebacker positions, and it wouldn’t hurt to have more safeties who can help in coverage.

New Cowboys DC Mike Zimmer ‘not trying to reinvent the wheel’ – Todd Archer, ESPN

Coach Zimmer is well-aware he’s inheriting a stellar defensive group.

Over the past three seasons, the Dallas Cowboys’ defense has ranked seventh, tied for fifth and fifth in points allowed while totaling an NFL-best 93 takeaways.

With Dan Quinn having left to become the Washington Commanders’ head coach, the Cowboys’ new defensive coordinator, Mike Zimmer, is inheriting a decent situation.

“We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel here,” Zimmer said at his introductory news conference Wednesday. “I mean, they’ve been pretty good. I’ve been in some situations where things that haven’t happened, but that happens in coaching. It happens a lot.

“We’re going to look at the players, try to figure out the best way to use them, put the scheme together and, again, we want to take the good things that they’ve done and maybe add a few more other things we’ve done good in the past.”

Zimmer did not want to get into specifics until the defensive staff is finalized. The Cowboys need defensive line coaches. At one point during the news conference, Zimmer’s phone rang and he said it was somebody looking for a job.

“Ultimately, it’s what the players can do,” the 67-year-old coach said. “We can be the smartest guys in the world, but if the players can’t do what we’re asking them to do, then we’re not very smart. So I’ve always felt like ideas are great and all that, but, OK, what can they do and how proficiently can they do it?”

Cowboys’ Top Trade Targets Entering 2024 NFL Offseason – Alex Ballentine, Bleacher Report

The Cowboys offseason moves will soon move from coaching decisions to player decisions.

Last offseason, we saw the Cowboys get aggressive to push this roster to be championship-worthy. They made trades for Stephon Gilmore and Brandin Cooks to target two fo their biggest needs. Then they made a surprising trade for Trey Lance.

It’ll be even tougher to pull off aggressive moves this time around. The Cowboys are currently $14.3 million over the cap and their internal free-agent crop includes Tyron Smith, Tony Pollard and Stephon Gilmore.

If they decide they want to keep any combination of that trio, it’s going to mean they have a limited budget.

However, they could also look to the trade market to replace any of them. Here’s a look at three targets they could have in mind if they are looking to enter the trade business again.

OT Cam Robinson, Jacksonville Jaguars

The decision on Tyron Smith’s future is going to be a complicated one. When healthy, Smith is still an absolute mauler who earned a second-team All-Pro nod this season.

The problem is he’s struggled with so many injuries throughout his career that it’s hard to come up with a fair contract for the 33-year-old. Smith played two games in 2020 and four games in 2022. If the pattern of suffering a major injury every other year continues, the Cowboys could be paying top dollar for a veteran tackle who won’t be on the field.

DT Davon Godchaux, New England Patriots

An untrustworthy run defense is what prompted the Cowboys to draft nose tackle Mazi Smith in the first round of last season’s draft. He didn’t quite make the impact they were hoping in his rookie season and only played four snaps in the playoff game

Finding another veteran who could take on a run-stuffing role could help the Cowboys take the next step. That’s why calling the Patriots about Davon Godchaux is a good idea.