The Cowboys have new leadership in Brian Schottenheimer and Christian Parker, poised at the tender age of just 34 to do his thing. And what is that thing? A '3-4 Defense.' Kinda.
FRISCO - It was just six years ago when a few of us were invited inside and upstairs at The Star for a meet-and-greet session with new head coach Mike McCarthy. Everybody had a beer or so, and the conversation turned to defensive philosophy.
“Big Mike’’ said Dallas would lean to being a “four-down-linemen’’ team.
Just six years. And my, have times changed.
Fast-forward to today, and the Cowboys have new leadership in second-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer and rookie defensive coordinator Christian Parker, poised at the tender age of just 34 to do his thing.
And what is that “thing’’?
A “3-4 defense.’’ Kinda.
At first glance, that’s a frightening thought because going back 30 years or 20 years (or maybe even six years), a “3-4 defense’’ meant something drastically different. Once upon a time, it was about a thick block-occupying nose tackle and two defensive ends with two-gap responsibilities - meaning they were also about occupying blockers.
Three guys do that upfront, and the four linebackers are freed to fly around and make plays.
But what Parker - under the tutelage of his former Eagles boss Vic Fangio is bringing here - isn’t that sort of 3-4.
In fact, at the risk of complicating this, it can be a 3-4 with one of the linebackers actually being now what is often called an “edge’’ as he positions himself at the line of scrimmage. And voila, it looks like a four-man front.
Or, it can include four down-linemen to start, with the addition of a linebacker/edge creeping up, which means it looks like a 5-2. Or even a 5-1, because as teams play Nickel about 70 percent of the time in the NFL, there’s less and less of a need for an old-fashioned “middle linebacker’’ type.
Some people call all of this a “Hybrid 3-4.’’ One smart football guy I talked to suggested it be called a “Fangio Defense.’’ And (again, I’m trying to keep this simple both for your brain and for mine) maybe we should call it “The Gap-and-a-Half Defense,’’ because this “defensive ends’’ aren’t just 300-pound block-occupying “fenceposts’’ … they’re guys with 3-technique athleticism who can do it all upfront.
That just happens to fit Quinnen Williams as a strong-side “end’’ in a 3-4. It also happens to fit Osa Odighizuwa as a weak-side “end.’’ They will, I bet, have primary responsibility for one gap (just beat your man) with an eye on a second gap. … while playing the 9-technique. (Lining up on the outside shoulder of the widest-out blocker, even of the tight end - “Wide-9.’’)
All together … “The Gap-and-a-Half Defense.’’ … acknowledging the sort of technical thing that is more accurate, but isn’t as sexy, as yelling, “They’re changing to a 3-4!’’
This is “match the personnel with the philosophy.’’
I’ll bet anything that Parker’s job interviews here focused on how this defense will maximize the talents of Quinnen and Osa, on how Kenny Clark fits as a 0-tech nose guard, on how Donovan Donovan Ezeiruaku is an end who can be an “edge’’ who drops into linebacker-like coverage and on how DeMarvion Overshown is a linebacker who can rush the passer as an “edge.’’
I’m sure Jerry and Stephen Jones - who remember a time when hybrid standouts DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer were featured here and did some of this together - joined Schottenheimer in liking the vision.
Even the coaching staff being assembled leans to this vision.
Parker is bringing in Vikings defensive line coach Marcus Dixon; since 2024, Minnesota is No. 2 in the NFL in sacks.
And Parker is also hiring Georgia’s Chidera Uzo-Diribe as the “outside linebackers coach’’ - a position that didn’t exist here before.
And now you know what he’ll be assigned to do.
It’s about the talent being multiple and versatile. And it’s about the scheme being deceptive and versatile. … because it’s going to look like one thing and then morph into another.
The NFL base defense is now all about the Nickel, as offenses are in it 70 percent of the time. I don’t need four linebackers in that case; we won’t be able to cover anybody! So in that sense, this “3-4’’ could feature Clark, flanked by Quinnen and Osa, who will be flanked by Ezeiruaku Overshown …
And suddenly it’s a “5-man front’’ defense.
It would be much more handy if it had a catchy and cool nickname, but maybe it’s best we wait on that. Parker and this new young defensive staff are attempting to upgrade the NFL’s worst defense in 2025 into something that’s at least competitive.
While we work to understand it, let’s see if they do that first. … And worry about “catchy and cool’’ later.