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Todd Archer, ESPN Staff Writer
FRISCO, Texas — There isn’t a coach Darren Woodson had in his career he respects more than Mike Zimmer.
They were together from 1994 to 2003 with the Dallas Cowboys. Woodson earned all five of his Pro Bowl appearances after Zimmer came to Dallas as a defensive assistant in 1994. Zimmer was his defensive backs coach for five seasons before becoming his coordinator for four seasons in a career that saw Woodson became the Cowboys’ all-time leading tackler.
“He doesn’t have any ‘back up’ in him,” Woodson said of Zimmer, who is replacing Dan Quinn as the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator. “He’s going to set his feet. He will fight your ass tooth and nail, a lot like Bill Parcells. You’re going to do it his way. He might not be your best friend. It’s not going to be cuddly and kumbaya. That’s not happening. He’s going to test your mettle.”
Zimmer’s return to the Cowboys comes at a time when the organization is coming off one of the most disappointing exits in franchise history. A third straight 12-5 finish and NFC East championship that led to a No. 2 seed was done in by an embarrassing 48-32 loss to the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round at AT&T Stadium.
Quinn left to be the head coach of the Washington Commanders. Secondary coach/defensive passing game coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. left with him to be the defensive coordinator after he was passed over to replace Quinn in Dallas. Defensive line coach Aden Durde was named the defensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks.
After Dallas finished fifth in the NFL in yards (299.7) and points (18.5) per game, Zimmer is bringing change in scheme, to a degree, but maybe more so in temperament.
He will have talent. Edge Micah Parsons and cornerback DaRon Bland finish third and fifth, respectively, in balloting for the NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Cornerback Trevon Diggs, a Pro Bowler in 2021 and ’22 after totaling 14 interceptions, is returning from a torn left ACL. DeMarcus Lawrence was added to the Pro Bowl.
“He’s a great man and he’s a phenomenal football coach,” said former Cowboys defensive end and current ESPN analyst Marcus Spears, who played for Zimmer for two seasons. “Tough but fair and he cares about his guys. It was great to play for Zim even when he cursed me out.”
Bill Parcells did not know Zimmer when he took over as Cowboys head coach in 2003, but it did not take him long to like him. A lot.
“He’s a coach’s son, and I always liked that because they lived it at the dinner table when they were young,” Parcells said. “[Bill] Belichick was the same way. That’s the kind of guys they were. But I got to like Mike and we’ve become good friends.”
They continue to talk frequently, and Parcells takes credit for getting Zimmer involved in horse racing. But their bond came in football. Parcells favored the 3-4 scheme, but when he came to Dallas, they had personnel for a 4-3 defense and they finished No. 1 in the NFL in 2003.
By 2005, Parcells moved the defense to a 3-4, and in that draft the Cowboys selected future Hall of Famer DeMarcus Ware, Spears, linebacker Kevin Burnett, defensive end Chris Canty and defensive tackle Jay Ratliff.
Zimmer had no background in that scheme.
“Technique-wise it was relatively simple, so it was just the linebacker play and how to coordinate that, and that involved some new stuff for him,” Parcells said. “But he caught on to that easily, and he started to understand what kind of personnel we were looking for in that. That wasn’t hard. He’s a football guy. He likes the game. He’s committed to doing a good job. He’s not lazy at all. That’s good.”
At his stops since — as a coordinator with the Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals and a seven-year run as head coach of the Minnesota Vikings — Zimmer blended his schemes, though mostly a 4-3. His scheme versatility and ability to mix between man-to-man and zone coverages was an attraction for his return to Dallas.
“Here’s what I love, and a lot of people wouldn’t have done this, but we’re the Super bowl champs and I’m like at the height of my career, and he’s showing me all my bad plays,” Woodson said. “I’m like holy s—, but it’s all what I can work on, and he’s breaking it all down with me. That brought us that much closer because I wanted to be better. Again, it wasn’t all cuddly. It was, ‘This is who you are. Let’s figure out how to get better.'”
Woodson liked Zimmer’s bluntness. So did Spears. So did a lot of the players he coached.
“He’s himself,” Parcells said. “That’s what he does. That’s what people that get along with players are. They don’t say you have to get along, but players respect people who are straight-forward, to the point and trying to help them get better. He’s the best with them. And the ones that don’t like the truth are probably going to have a problem.”
Woodson has advice to the players Zimmer is about to coach.
“I would say, ‘Man, give him time,'” Woodson said. “He’s going to be callous when he comes in. Don’t be sensitive. The guy wants to win. He wants to win at all cost. He’s the most competitive sumb—- I’ve ever met. Give him time and you’ll get it. You’ll understand. You’re going to have to be ready. And you’re going to bite him too. He’s looking for the fight too. Don’t back down because he’s OK with it. But just have some thick skin.”
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