Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys are returning to the old days to recreate the glorious Super Bowl-winning era. Coach Dan Quinn moved on to Washington to get a head coaching job. So Jerry Jones flipped through his phonebook to contact his old pal. He invited him to join the Cowboys posse. But, while Dan Quinn is known for the “brotherhood” and “fun” aspect of his coaching, Mike Zimmer’s style is unique.

Jori Epstein was at the Cowboys training camp recently and spoke with the CEO Stephen Jones and the HC Mike McCarthy. The Cowboys’ defense isn’t arguably different from last year, “but Cowboys sought a different vibe when DQ left.” A different vibe means a stricter defensive coordinator with no filters for calling people out. That’s because after Quinn left for the Commanders, the Cowboys had to plug that hole with something concrete.

Jerry Jones’ team takes a new approach to defense

Dan Quinn was a “fun uncle” to be around, but Zimmer got a distinct opinion. That’s what Stephen Jones thinks. “Mike’s got a rough side,” Stephen told me. “Sorry to use, but an a**h*le-type mentality to him in the way he coaches. He loves you, but when you mess it up, he’s gonna tell you how bad & put his foot in your butt.”

You would not expect a coach like Zimmer, who has 3 decades of experience coaching defense, to play around too much. He started his NFL journey as the Cowboys’ DB coach and won the Super Bowl XXX shortly after. However, he’s lived long enough to watch himself become a villain.

His tenure as the Minnesota Vikings HC wasn’t all peaches at cream. He was accused of installing a “fear-based culture” and his coaching staff did their job as the “world ended.” This is the hardest pill to swallow for the Cowboys LB Eric Kendricks, who was with Zimmer in Minnesota and called him out publicly.

“I think just having that voice, no matter how big your role is, is important, to listen up and take each other’s feelings into account. I don’t think a fear-based organization is the way to go,” is what Kendricks had to say about the Zimmer-led coaching staff in Minnesota.

However, sources suggest the Cowboys’ defense can do even better under Mike Zimmer.

Mike Zimmer can unlock Micah Parsons’ true potential

He’s already taking breakfast meetings with Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs, teaching them various things about different positions. Parsons and Diggs now understand each other’s jobs a bit better. Parsons is about to mix things a bit this year and will be playing as an off-ball linebacker, a trait that got him the DROY three years ago.

“I’m not just learning the D-line stuff for the front,” Parsons said. “I’m learning the back end, the corners, the safeties. Why we want to show this way, why we want to send the pressure over this way because the safety is over there. It’s interesting, and it’s a perspective I never had before.”

Under Quinn, Parsons amassed 40.5 sacks in three seasons, ranking 4 in the league. However, he had the most pressures in the league (99) and the second-highest pressure rated (21.4%) during that time, per Next Gen Stats.

Last year, the Dallas Cowboys had some of the most elite defense in the league. Under Dan Quinn, the Dallas team was giving away about 18.5 points in a game in the regular season. As usual, things went haywire in the playoff game against the Packers. But Zimmer is prepared to get out of his comfort zone and do better this year.

“We’ve kept some wrinkles in what they’ve had in the past,” Zimmer said. “Obviously, we’re asking them to do different things than what they’ve done before. I’ve tried to be demanding on what they’re doing. I’ve tried to be demanding of myself with doing that.

He’s joining again after a 2-year hiatus from the NFL. His reputation for a hard-nosed defense might be a factor for him landing with Dallas, once again. The Dallas Cowboys showed a massive improvement under Dan Quinn’s defense calling. Will it work out the same with Mike Zimmer? Let us know what you think.