FRISCO, Texas – Coming off their fourth straight victory, the Dallas Cowboys’ coordinators stood behind the podium on Monday to speak on permeating questions from local media. Several noteworthy topics were addressed as Dallas puts the 44-20 victory over the Giants in the rear view and looks ahead to the Patriots in Week 6.
Defensive Coordinator, Dan Quinn
*As long as cornerback Trevon Diggs continues to put up interceptions, he will be a topic of discussion. Diggs, a receiver-turned corner at Alabama by Nick Saban, has totaled six interceptions over a five-game span in 2021. His knowledge of route concepts combined with his rare ability to track the ball in flight, has led to Diggs’ leverage in both man and zone coverage to make plays on the football. Many have analyzed Diggs’ sensational play, but few can provide a breakdown like Quinn of his ball-tracking skills. He compared his innate skill to a former player he coached, and perhaps the most talented of all, Julio Jones.
“Playing DB is hard because sometimes you just have to play at a flash at the ball,” Quinn described to D210SPORTS. “In other words, you’re playing on a receiver, you are running down the field together and as he looks up, you’re looking through his hands or catching just the last little bit. The elite receivers do that, where they don’t have to look at the ball.
“I remember many times at practice where Julio Jones, the ball will be here, and he puts his head down and starts digging again, and then goes to get it. It was always so remarkable for me to see that. Usually, you see a guy just running and looking at it and diving and he would say ‘Nope, I’ve got to go a little further,’ and then look back. Having those kind of ball skills where you know where it is, where to track it, where it’s going to be, that’s a whole other level. I’d like to say we’ve been really coaching Trevon up on that, but that would be a lot of bullshit. But I can tell you this is a rare competitor who works really hard at his game.”
*Right defensive end Randy Gregory continues to spearhead the Cowboys’ pass rush. Against the New York Giants, Gregory quickly shed blocks with his lethal speed to power bull rush move. He repeatedly won his one-on-one matchup at the line of scrimmage against the Giants’ backup left tackle, Nate Solder. Due to his dominance, the Giants began employing chips to the left side of the formation to assist him, but Gregory continued to flush both Daniel Jones and Mike Glennon out of the pocket. He may not have recorded a sack in the game, but his relentless pursuit is worth recognition. Gregory amassed nine total pressures in Week 5 and has incessantly wreaked havoc in the trenches, garnering praise from Quinn.
“I really think the last three weeks have been really consistently good. He just stays relentless. We played him outside. We played him inside. You guys have seen that. So that takes work to study both things, the packages. It’s a lot of extra studying to learn them, but he’s up for it. I just feel like over the last three weeks, he’s been one of our most consistent players. Just relentless at staying with it. I think the Carolina game, he had more production, but I thought in the Philadelphia game and the game yesterday, he was just as relentless. Sometimes it will come your way, and sometimes it won’t. But I’ve certainly been impressed by where he’s at so far.”
*Finding the correct balance between maximizing a player’s strengths and having a preferable scheme implementation is the dichotomy a coach deals with daily. The task of fitting scheme around a player’s natural skillset is often easier said than done. Every coach has an agenda in mind of how best to exploit an offense’s weakness; a way they are accustomed to but that often comes to the detriment of the squad. However, Quinn is not a believer in pushing ideas but rather focusing on individual talents to create a formidable output on the field. A trend that has led to the team’s effectiveness on the gridiron. Gone are the days of his prototypical base 4-3 and Cover 3 on the back end. 2021 ushers in creative multiple fronts and more man coverage in the secondary to keep offenses off-balance.
“I think it’s important first from the coaches to be learning the players and finding out things they do best. One of my least favorite things is to hear about what a player can’t do. That’s easy to nitpick and find this or find that. In our whole society of judging everything, finding what guys can do and accentuate that as hard as you can. I’m not saying you don’t work on your weaknesses but if there are certain things a guy can do, you want to find ways to utilize that … if a call’s not game ready and we’re not featuring someone in the things they can do, then I just won’t use it.”
*Rookie linebacker Micah Parsons is a jack of all trades. The Penn State product lined up as a full-time defensive end in Week 2 and 3 due to injuries and players on the COVID-19 list. He reverted to linebacker against the Panthers and Giants. Despite his force off the edge from a standup rush position and ability to collapse the pocket, Parsons has been used as an off the ball linebacker in the previous two weeks. The Giants heavily used a perimeter attack on offense, designed to get players out in space. The Cowboys’ ability to contain the flats was critical and a primary reason for Parsons’ job description. Quinn assessed the situation.
“When do we blitz him? How do we use him in that space? Sometimes, we want to blitz where he can be matched up on backs. But having his speed behind the ball is a big deal, too, for a team like the Giants who are balanced in their run game. We wanted to make sure we had enough to not only man to man when they emptied the backfield out with Saquon [Barkley] but also in the run game. When the game changes somewhat due to their injuries, some of the packages and stuff that we normally would have done changed, too.”
Offensive Coordinator, Kellen Moore
*The Cowboys continue to impose their will on the ground. Prior to the matchup against the Giants, Dallas had averaged 201 rushing yards through three games. Dallas then put up the exact number against New York. The Cowboys faced a two-high shell against the Chargers and Eagles, inviting the run. Despite the Giants’ run pressures and intent to stop the run by loading the box, the Cowboys continued to run at will with their one-two punch, Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard. Dallas ranks third in the league at team run block win rate (74%) per Pro Football Focus, a testament to the offensive line’s role in creating holes and extending blocks to open things up at the second level.
“I think the run game really starts with the players,” Moore said. “The offensive line, they’re coming off the ball, they’re being really aggressive. They’re playing very confident. And our runners are really doing a phenomenal job having patience when they need patience, to kind of set up blocks. And then in another sense, when it is time to hit it, they hit it, and we always talk about how it takes all 11, the receivers are part of this thing, the tight ends, the quarterback booting. Everyone is putting their piece into it.”
*This week brings on new challenges. Moore will match wits with Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichick – arguably the best to ever don a headset. The Cowboys will face an uncommon AFC opponent, but it is difficult to not pay tribute to the person on the opposing sideline. Moore’s innovation as a play-caller in 2021 has garnered praise and head coaching narratives. This week will be a true litmus test against the man with a reputation for superb in-game adjustments. That reality is not lost on the Cowboys’ young offensive coordinator.
“They put their players in the best position to be successful. I think as a coach you are always trying to put your guys in the best situation. They do that better than anyone. They recognize what their strengths are, what their weakness are, and they plan accordingly. And they put themselves in a really good situation to have success on Sunday’s week in and week out. It can be a different play. It can be a different scheme. But they are always prepared, and they always do a really good job.
“Obviously, he [Bill Belichick] is the best coach in NFL history. We understand that aspect of it. He has been a defensive guy for a very long time and a ton of respect for him. Certainly, someone that as a younger coach you are always learning from these types of coaches who have done it for long time and have a ton of success.”
Special Teams Coordinator, John Fassel
*With the release of Jaylon Smith, more opportunities have developed for Jabril Cox at linebacker. A predominant special teams’ contributor in 2021, Cox received a few reps on defense against the Giants and he took advantage. One, came on a goal-line stand on third down. He showcased his sideline-to-sideline range to prevent New York from scoring a touchdown. On a quarterback keeper, Cox snuffed out the play and made an earth-shattering tackle. A tremendous effort play by Cox that drew praise from John Fassel.
“It was great. Making that goal line play, and I can’t remember how many reps he caught. But anytime our core special teamers go in there and make a play on O or D, the sideline gets excited for them, including myself. So, it was cool to see guys have one of those roles and make a big play, and we all celebrated for sure — not only on the field, but in the meeting room the next day.”
*Fullback Nick Ralston has been active on game-day the last three weeks and possesses the positional flexibility to help out in a variety of ways on the gridiron. Recently, serving as a swiss army knife on special teams for Fassel. A player’s value on special teams may often get overlooked by the public eye but a job that the staff holds in high esteem.
“He’s a guy that kind of came out of nowhere, and training camp he kind of became really a reliable, versatile, play the guard, the tackle, the wing, the five, the four, the three on kickoff, the front end, the back end on kickoff return. He just kind of found a niche where he proved that he was reliable wherever you wanted to put him, which the roster has been kind of in flux with all of the injuries and the COVID…’ So, he’s just proven to be a versatile piece that has really good football savviness. It’s been cool to see him kind of find a role.”
