The Cowboys' move to hire Christian Parker has been met with applause from those around the league.
The Dallas Cowboys' defense is moving in a different, younger direction with the hiring of Christian Parker as the new defensive coordinator.
When the news broke that Dallas had landed on Parker as its guy, not too many, aside from those in the know, actually knew who Parker was.
But as the hours and days went by, and we gathered information from those close to both teams, it became clear that the Cowboys had gotten themselves a seriously good defensive coordinator.
Now, it is true that there is some risk associated with Parker's hire, given that he hasn't called plays in the NFL before.
But that is a risk worth taking for a franchise that, at least over the past three decades, has made a habit of not taking risks. Whether it works out or not, Dallas took a shot.
And fans have loved it.
But how has the move been viewed from those not as close to the Cowboys?
CBS Sports' Bryan DeArdo, in grading all coordinator hires so far this offseason, has given Dallas a "B" grade for the hire of Parker.
"Parker may blossom into the NFL's next elite coordinator, but the Cowboys are taking a risk, especially with head coach Brian Schottenheimer being an offensive-minded leader," DeArdo wrote. "That said, it's a risk worth taking for a franchise desperate to reach its first conference title game since 1995."
So the plan has been put in motion for Brian Schottenheimer, who, according to our own Mike Fisher, had "both hands on the wheel" in the coordinator search, as it appears the winds of change are blowing through The Star.
With many raving over Parker's ability to teach, motivate, and make complex things easy to understand, the Cowboys appear to have gotten themselves a great coordinator.
Of course, there will be bumps in the road, as there was with Schottenheimer, but the hope is that they will be few and far between for a defense that can't afford too many.
But regardless of how the hire pans out, yes, fans want Parker to help improve a horrific defense that was painful to watch last season. However, the Cowboys went in a different direction than they had in previous years. And that's to be applauded.
This is Schottenheimer's vision, and we are beginning to see it play out before our eyes.
Yes, the hire on paper seems good. But let's let the cake bake on anointing Parker before he's even taken a practice.
But there's no denying the vibes around the franchise are the highest they've been in a while.