Jerry Jones is playing defense for his coordinator.
The Dallas Cowboys’ lightning rod owner went to bat for defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, despite having one of the worst defenses in the NFL.
“He’s had tremendous experience,” Jones said, according to the team’s official website. “He’s dealt with adversity with a long record of, not only with us, but his tenure in Chicago and Indianapolis, and he’s had some great successes. . . . But he’s had his tail kicked. That’s who I want in the foxhole with me, because there’s no such thing as having all the answers. I jumped at it when I saw we had a chance to get him, I still feel as strongly as I did the day we brought him in here.”
Jones added that the issues are not isolated to the defense, as they are “dealing with here are not one, two major things,” and that he believes Eberflus will “address and get right” some of the smaller problems over their remaining 11 games.
That’ll likely quell any thoughts that the Cowboys would fire Eberflus anytime soon, despite the poor defensive showing so far.
Eberflus was hired this offseason under new head coach Brian Schottenheimer after he was fired as the Bears’ head coach at the end of last season.
Eberflus was previously the linebackers coach in Dallas from 2011 to 2017 before getting the defensive coordinator gig in Indianapolis.
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The Cowboys are second-last in defensive DVOA, third-last in yards per play allowed (6.2), and second-last in points per game allowed (30.7).
Perhaps Jones is defending Eberflus now because of the tumultuous offseason on that side of the ball endured after a contract disagreement with superstar pass rusher Micah Parsons.
After Jones was in the middle of contract talks falling apart, Parsons was traded to the Packers for a healthy stack of draft capital and defensive tackle Kenny Clark.
The Cowboys are 2-3-1 this season and have a tough draw over the next two weeks as the Commanders and Broncos are on tap in Weeks 7 and 8.
