3 regrets to ponder before the Dallas Cowboys visit Vikings

3. Kris Richard era deleted too soon?

There were a lot of fingers pointing at Kris Richard this time last year. These days, the victim is currently defensive coordinator Mike Nolan. But in all honesty, you could point the finger at everyone on the defensive unit, including the players.

Did the Dallas Cowboys jet away from Richard too soon? He was once a very hot candidate to land as a head coach in the league. He decided to sit out the 2020 year, so I expect his name to return to the coaching carousel soon.

After spending two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys as the defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator, the ‘Boys did not retain him after ushering out the Garrett era.

Seeing how the defense is today, you have to wonder how much of the problems were due to Richard and defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli, who is with the Las Vegas Raiders now. Sure, Mike McCarthy and Mike Nolan had zero offseason prep time to implement a new system because of COVID-19.

But many rookie coaches were in the same boat. What’s the excuse? The defense, outside of that Steelers game, is an utter disaster.

Marinelli and Richard did have issues of predictability, among other flaws, but they didn’t let the sky fall. They prevented a mess. Today, the defense is a spillage of lackluster souls dressed in silver and blue. The Cowboys defense isn’t playing with any heart, and that’s a fire Richard just had.