Dallas Cowboys fans felt immediate relief when Christian Parker was hired as defensive coordinator. But before turning the page, it’s necessary to take a hard look at what truly went wrong under Matt Eberflus and how his defense spiraled into historic failure.
Sure, Micah Parsons was traded. Any DC will get sympathy there, but one player shouldn't cause a collapse of historical proportions. Parsons is a great player -- one of the best in the NFL -- but let's not lose the forest for the trees.
As Patrik Walker of the official Cowboys' website says, Eberflus' players were designed for aggressive pass rushes and press-man coverage. None of that happened under Eberflus, as he favored zone defense a lot with little to no plan.
"Man-centric personnel, but run zone 98 percent of the time? Bad call," Walker writes. "Operate in zone most of the time with a consistently failing pass rush, save for a game or two? Bad call. In said zone, continually play the man-centric corners eight yards off of the line of scrimmage, and with a failing pass rush? Bad call. Seriously, it was an absolute mess and made little to no sense, and it got Eberflus fired after just one season."
Matt Eberflus' schemes were never going to work with the Cowboys' personnel
Seeing it broken down the way Walker did only makes Eberflus’ tenure look worse. The loss in Carolina was a perfect snapshot of the dysfunction, with DaRon Bland inexplicably lined up nearly eight yards off on 4th-and-3, giving Hunter Renfrow an uncontested first down to clinch the win.
Even whenTrevon Diggs was on the field, the Cowboys’ coverage routinely fell apart, and it was even more pronounced among Kaiiar Elam before he was cut, Caelan Carson, Reddy Steward, and Trikweze Bridges.
Kenneth Murray, meanwhile, frequently looked lost, blowing gap fits and opening the door to explosive runs. It's easy to understand why mock drafts increasingly point to a first-round linebacker, and why there shouldn't be much pushback to the idea.
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Beyond the lapses in coverage and Eberflus' supposed linebacker expertise failing to sign through, the pass rush was also non-existent.
The Cowboys finished with just 35 sacks, which landed in the NFL's lowest tier. James Houston and Jadeveon Clowney provided occasional sparks, but not nearly enough sustained pressure to make the difference that was needed.
Nothing that Eberflus tried work
Almost every plan Eberflus had went awry. It was a nightmarish mix of bad personnel and even worse coaching. The good news, though, is that Christian Parker is already cleaning house. That's enough to see a light at the end of the tunnel.