FRISCO, TEXAS — The Dallas Cowboys has finalized the coaching staff under Mike McCarthy. Local Dallas media met with the assistant coaches on Monday and mostly saw new faces around the club’s headquarters. Only three coaches were retained from Jason Garrett’s staff: Kellen Moore, Doug Nussmeier, and Leon Lett. Two are returning to the Cowboys’ staff for a second time years later, Skip Peete and George Edwards.
Here is the assistant coaching staff in its entirety:
Rob Davis- Assistant Head Coach
Kellen Moore- Offensive Coordinator
Joe Philbin- Offensive Line
Jeff Blasko- Assistant Offensive Line
Adam Henry- Wide Receivers
Lunda Wells- Tight Ends
Skip Peete- Running Backs
Doug Nussmeier- Quarterbacks
Mike Nolan- Defensive Coordinator
Jim Tomsula- Defensive Line
Leon Lett- Assistant Defensive Line
Scott McCurley- Linebackers
George Edwards- Senior Defensive Assistant
Maurice Linguist- Defensive Backs
Al Harris- Defensive Backs
John Fassel- Special Teams Coordinator
Matt Daniels- Assistant Special Teams
Scott Tolzien- Coaching Assistant
Markus Paul- Strength and Conditioning
Given McCarthy’s history in Green Bay, it is no surprise to see he brought many former Packers’ assistants with him including, Scott McCurley. McCurley started out as an intern with the Packers in 2006 and was the team’s defensive quality control coach for five seasons. In 2014, he was promoted to linebacker’s coach. He will now fill that role with America’s Team.
I spoke with McCurley on his remarkable coaching journey and the excitement of being in Dallas.
He told me, “ I think first of all, it’s just coming to an iconic place like this. Green Bay was special, but when you come down here, you get to the Star; you see the people around here, and the Joneses and what they’ve built here. This is first class all the way…Just the place, the people, the environment, and the energy that is in this building. It is a special place. Then next is football. When you get down to it, they are a good team and good people so I am excited to get started.”
McCurley was the most energetic coach I came across in the hallway lined with assistants. He was grinning ear to ear with the anticipation of the 2020 football season and to go to work. He played a major role in the development of Clay Matthews in Green Bay from outside to inside linebacker, which resulted in a pro bowl nod in 2015. He will now inherit Jaylon Smith, Leighton Vander Esch, and Sean Lee if he opts to continue playing and the team choses to re-sign the vet.
On working with the corps., he remarked,“ All around impressive guys to begin with. I am excited to begin a relationship with them to begin with but they’re good people. That is where it is all going to start with- our relationship, how we build that relationship: the respect, the trust, and all those things, because on the football field they are talented. Across the board their skills, their skillset, we can work with that and we can build and we can get them to grow. They have already accomplished a lot and we are looking to build off of that, we are looking to grow and get them better everyday.”
He will now have a fresh start with another storied franchise. Many linebackers on the Cowboys’ depth chart will hit the free agency market in March: Sean Lee, Joe Thomas, Malcolm Smith, Ray-Ray Armstrong, and Justin March-Lillard. Linebacker will be a needed position in the draft and McCarthy and Mike Nolan have made it clear that scheme will be based on players talent and not trying to fit players into a specific scheme. The team will likely employ both a 3-4 and a 4-3 moving forward. In the past, Dallas has operated in a 4-3 with a Sam, Mike, and Will backer on the field in a base defense, and a Mike and Will in nickel packages. Now, the Cowboys will likely have four on the field at times.
McCurley will be looking for two things in evaluating players and building the group’s mentality, “ Leadership and a competitive spirit. You want guys who love to compete and I think we have that. At the very start of who these guys are, they are competitors. We want to compete and we want to compete at a high level everyday.”
