For the last three years under Dan Quinn, the Dallas Cowboys had one of the NFL’s best defenses. They ranked in the Top 10 in points allowed per game, including No. 5 in the league a season ago, and Daron Bland set a new record for pick-sixes.
But Quinn is now in charge of the Washington Commanders, and the Cowboys brought in another former head coach to replace him. Mike Zimmer is now in as defensive coordinator, and he made an early impression through the offseason program.
As training camp approaches, safety Malik Hooker said he thinks the Dallas defense will stay dominant thanks to the foundation set under Quinn. However, he notices a big difference.
“I feel like even these past couple weeks of having this new system and going out to OTAs and doing everything we’ve been doing, you can tell the difference of, I would say, discipline that we’re gonna be this year,” Hooker said on Keyshawn Johnson’s “All Gas, No Brakes” podcast. “If you watched a lot of our games – a lot of the big games we lost, there were plays made. But a lot of the times, we were shooting ourselves in the foot. … That’s the part that I feel like we’re nailing down on or we’re gonna take a bigger step in this year as far as, just discipline.
“Once we even nail that down and guys are being able to be disciplined down the stretch or in the playoffs or even in special moments like 2-minute moments and stuff like that, I feel like we’re gonna be even a better defense.”
Malik Hooker: Dan Quinn is ‘a big reason why I’m here’
During Dan Quinn’s three years with the Cowboys, Malik Hooker said he was more of a players’ coach because of his ability to relate to them. That was part of the allure to playing in Dallas, Hooker said, and cited Quinn as a reason he chose to play for the Cowboys in the first place.
“I love DQ,” Hooker said. “We still talk to this day. He’s a big reason why I’m here in Dallas still and why I got to Dallas. There’s a certain way that you’ve got to coach certain guys. Different guys are being able to coach a certain way. I feel like because of how player-oriented DQ was, guys would relate to him, and he wouldn’t have to coach a certain way that Zim does now.”
When it comes to playing for Zimmer, though, it’s different. He wants things to go a certain way, and Hooker said he’ll make sure the Cowboys work to do so.
“He’s gonna give you a couple of chances to mess up. If you keep messing up and can’t get it right, [he’s] gonna get somebody else in there,” Hooker said. “To where as DQ was more player-oriented. If something couldn’t right or we kept messing up on something, he’d just try to, I guess, level it down make it easier for everybody to be able to still go out there and do what they were going to do.
“But it just wouldn’t be what he was asking for in that moment. I think that’s the difference for them.”
The Cowboys are now gearing up for training camp, which will be the next step in implementing Zimmer’s defense. Then, it’ll be time for the season opener Sept. 8 against the Cleveland Browns.
