5 takeaways from Mike Zimmer’s opening press conference with the Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys held Mike Zimmer’s introductory press conference on Wednesday.

The Dallas Cowboys formally introduced Mike Zimmer to the world as their defensive coordinator for the second time on Wednesday. It was a press conference filled with lots of positivity, maybe in an attempt to counteract all the negativity around the team since the playoff loss. Zimmer said all of the right things and seemed to pass the initial test of being the right man for the job.

Here are five specific takeaways, although if you have time you can watch the presser for yourself (you can do that right here).

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Dallas may feel like home, but he views this team as one that can win now

Much has been made about how Mike Zimmer has held the position that he now occupies at one point in time many years ago. Obviously Dallas is a home for him.

Among the first things that Zimmer noted was that his daughter lives nearby and has twins and that he is excited to spend time with them (who wouldn’t be?). Later in the press conference he specified that while spending time with his grandchildren is obviously something he will experience as someone operating out of DFW, he did not show up to be average. He was specific to note that he is on the hunt for another world championship with the team as someone who experienced the last one with the club.

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Zimmer is very aware of his reputation as a bit of a disciplinarian

If you have been following the NFL for some time then you know that Mike Zimmer is sort of regarded as a bit of a strict coach. Zimmer noted that he is very well-aware of this reputation and that he has had many players (he cited former Minnesota Vikings cornerback Xavier Rhodes as an example) reach out and thank him for how he has coached them in the past.

Zimmer noted that the way he goes about things is for the betterment of his players and that he simply wants to get the best out of them. He added that since word of his return to Dallas became official that several former Cowboys players have reached out to congratulate him and express their excitement for the situation, and he added that if he was “such a jerk” these things likely wouldn’t have happened.

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Communication is going to be paramount under Zimmer

There are still a handful of things that the Cowboys need to take care of from a staffing perspective with all the change and departures that they have had. Zimmer was clear to mention that this is among the first things that has to happen.

He apologized (sort of) for how boring it is to explain this, but that the very first thing that has to happen is that the staff has to be assembled and come together. He added that once that is done, they can begin to get on the same page with language that they will use so that players can learn the language in question so that in the heat of the moment (practice or games), everyone is communicating the same and the overall goal and its effectiveness can be streamlined.

Obviously Zimmer has been out of the NFL for some time and he did mention that he spent part of that time reflecting on things he did well, or could have improved, in his time with the Minnesota Vikings. Mike McCarthy was obviously out of the league for a season before becoming the team’s head coach and it is arguable that it served him well.

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Zimmer knows the Cowboys are already very good on defense

It goes without saying that the Cowboys have already had a high level of success on defense over the last three years. Much of the credit for that has rightfully been given to the departing Dan Quinn, but it is worth repeating that his arrival coincided with Micah Parsons’. Again, no disrespect to Quinn.

Zimmer noted that while he and Mike McCarthy have discussed things that they each feel could be done differently with the Cowboys defense, that they are not going to just throw out who and what they have been for some time now. The exact verbiage was that the Cowboys are not going to “reinvent the wheel” on defense which makes sense given the run that the group has been on. But obviously some things have to change under Zimmer. He made mention of things ultimately coming down to players, and that while he and McCarthy could be the smartest guys ever, that if the players cannot do what they are asking them to do that they might not actually be very smart.

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The word discipline came up several times

Among the key issues that many seem to have with the Cowboys in general but certainly on defense is a lack of discipline. Time and time again we have seen this group called for unbelievable penalties, easy things like lining up offsides.

Zimmer appears well-intent on getting rid of that reality. He specifically mentioned a violation of discipline as among the things that make him “grouchy.”

If the Cowboys want discipline then they seem to have found the right guy to institute it.

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