New Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer returns to Dallas with more than just his trademark intensity

FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer’s reputation is that of a stereotypical old school, no-nonsense, football-obsessed coach. It’s an image forged through 28 seasons coaching in the NFL that include three different DC stints — with the Cowboys (2000-2006), Atlanta Falcons (2007) and Cincinnati Bengals (2008-2013) — and eight seasons as the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings (2014-2021).

“It’s not relaxing in the coach’s room. He [Zimmer] holds coaches to be responsible. I’ve been around him long enough to know that whatever you tell him you’re going to do, he’s going to hold you to it and he’s not going to forget it,” said Cowboys assistant defensive line coach Greg Ellis, who played nine seasons under Zimmer in Dallas from 1998-2006 — a stretch in which Zimmer was both an assistant and the team’s DC. “That’s the good thing about him. … I really couldn’t think of a better coach to be under to be honest with you.”

He’s no longer yelling at Ellis, Dallas’ eighth overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft, quite as much, something the former player-turned-coach is relieved about. 

“I have tremendous respect for him when I played for him because he’s a tremendous teacher of the game,” Ellis said. “He taught me a lot about the game. To be on the other side of it with him is something different for me.”

Some of the Cowboys’ defensive staff who are working alongside Zimmer for the first time in 2024 and haven’t yet experienced being on the receiving end of his trademark intensity know it’s only a matter of time. 

“I haven’t caught the wrath yet, but I know it’s coming,” Cowboys defensive line coach Jeff Zgonina said. “I’m fine with that. It makes you a better coach and a better player when you get the wrath. He just wants to win like all of us. That’s the passion that drives him.”

“You feel that (intensity) when you first meet him,” Dallas assistant head…

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Author : Garrett Podell

Publish date : 2024-06-11 21:33:40

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