Mike Zimmer ‘Will Fight Your A**!’ Cowboys Scouting Report on New Coach
Zimmer was a consultant under Deion Sanders for the past two seasons at Jackson State and Colorado. He is also well-known to the millennial Cowboys fans as a 13-season resident on the Dallas staff (1994-2006). That includes trips as the defensive coordinator for the past seven seasons, which included Pro Bowl visits for Dexter Coakley, La’Roi Glover, DeMarcus Ware, and Roy Williams. Zimmer was also a defensive backs coach during the Cowboys’ last Super Bowl run after the 1996 season.
The move has obviously drawn the attention of Zimmer’s former proteges: veteran Darren Woodson’s storied Dallas tenure, for example, mostly coincided with Zimmer’s first stay and he warned the current crop of Cowboys that they shouldn’t expect a new friend on the staff.
Woodson stated, “He doesn’t have any ‘back up’ in him,” according to an ESPN article by Todd Archer. “He intends to plant his feet. Like Bill Parcells, he would battle you tooth and nail for your (butt).”
“You’ll carry out his instructions. He may not be your closest pal. It won’t be all cuddles and good vibes. That isn’t taking place. He will put you to the test.”
Maybe that’s precisely what the Cowboys require: Before vanishing in Quinn’s bitter farewell, Dallas essentially coasted on regular season accomplishments, losing 48–32 to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Wild Card round.
Current ESPN analyst Marcus Spears had a different kind of Zimmer experience, as his first two years after arriving as the 20th pick in the 2005 draft were spent under his watch. Spears, who built a solid eight-season career in North Texas was slightly more lenient but also offered any revolting current Cowboys words of caution.
“He’s a great man and he’s a phenomenal football coach,” Spears said. “(He’s) tough but fair and he cares about his guys. It was great to play for Zim even when he cursed me out.”
Zimmer knows what it’s like to help the Cowboys through trying times: one of his finest efforts came in 2003 when the team finished first in yards allowed and second in scoring en route to ending a four-season drought of winning seasons. Zimmer would later serve as a constant of the Cincinnati Bengals’ formation into a postseason staple under Marvin Lewis, serving in the same defensive coordinator role before embarking on an eight-year stint as the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings.
