Cowboys great reveals harsh Mike Zimmer truth after ugly start vs. Ravens

The Dallas Cowboys chose to receive the opening kick against the Baltimore Ravens. While the offense doesn't have a ton of firepower, it makes sense why Mike McCarthy didn't want to put Mike Zimmer's defense on the field first after last week.

The drive stalled out before midfield, leaving Zimmer's group with a chance to bail out the offense. That ... did not happen. Lamar Jackson sliced through Dallas like many expected he would. It took the Ravens five plays to travel 71 yards and score the game's opening touchdown.

DeMarvion Overshown missed a tackle, which led to a big gain, while Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence both were slow to react on QB reads.

It was a predictable outcome based off last Sunday's performance and one particular former Cowboy has seen enough from Zimmer.

Dez Bryant doesn't think Mike Zimmer is a good fit with the Cowboys

Bryant is not knocking Zimmer. He is merely saying that the Cowboys don't have the players to execute Zimmer's scheme. While it sure looked like they did in Week 1, the five-plus quarters have fans hitting the panic button. That performance also might have been a product of Deshaun Watson, who lost to the Giants (!) on Sunday, being a bad quarterback.

One of the best wide receivers in franchise history, Bryant thinks that Dan Quinn is a better fit for Dallas' personnel. Zimmer deserves a full season before folks jump to conclusions, but it's been the same story as the Quinn era: the Cowboys cannot stop the run.

We all remember how much of a nightmare Mike Nolan's defenses were, right? Well, Cowboys fans have pulled out the Nolan comparisons on social media in the first half. That is extremely reactionary. Zimmer's defenses have historically started slow. His scheme and style require an adaptation period.

There's still a lot of game left. But if the defense puts up another dud at home (they are trending that direction), there will little benefit of the doubt to give Zimmer.

While Bryant is among the most prominent Zimmer cynics, the front office did not set up the defensive coordinator for success. The team's nose tackle rotation might be the worst in the NFL and he's starting a day three cornerback who missed a tackle that led to a 70-yard catch and run.

That certainly isn't his fault and he can't tackle for the players. Maybe Bryant is on to something.

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