The Cowboys rank 32nd in total defense, allowing 411.7 yards per game, and 31st in scoring, allowing 30.7 points per game. They are only the seventh team in the Super Bowl era to score 175 or more points and allow 175 or more points in the first six games of the season, according to ESPN Research.
Despite the struggles of Matt Eberflus’ unit, the defensive coordinator received a vote of confidence from Brian Schottenheimer after Sunday’s loss to the Panthers.
“Matt’s a great coach,” Schottenheimer said, via Todd Archer of ESPN. “I mean, Matt’s a great coach. He’s been around. Everywhere he’s ever been, he’s had good defenses. It’s not just Matt by himself. You know, Matt’s trying. Players are trying. It’s not a lack of effort. This is not that.”
Schottenheimer said he has “no question” that the Cowboys have the personnel to execute Eberflus’ defense, and executive vice president Stephen Jones agreed on his Monday radio show on 105.3 The Fan.
“Yes, I do,” Jones said. “This just comes down to execution. We’ve got to continue to be more consistent, and we can certainly do it. I think this is a work in progress. Obviously, we’ve got a lot of work to do on the defensive side of the ball.”
Eberflus is the team’s third defensive coordinator in three years, and he lost his best defensive player, Micah Parsons, in a trade with the Packers a week before the season. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said at the time that the trade — which included defensive tackle Kenny Clark in the return — was made to improve the run defense.
Yet, the Panthers rushed for 216 yards against them Sunday, and former Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle had 183 on 30 carries.
Schottenheimer was asked: If the team has the right personnel, then do the players believe in the scheme?
“That’s a bigger question. I would think so. I would hope so,” Schottenheimer said of players’ belief in the scheme. “What are we, six games in? Is that right, six games in? Yeah, I would think so. You know, we plugged one hole in the passing game a couple weeks ago, right? Certainly, we’ve shown the ability to run the football. We’ve shown the ability to stop the run. But there’s a consistency that’s not showing up. We’ve got to be better. And it starts with me. It starts with the coaching staff to put these guys in the right position.”
