\u0430n eye-\u0440o\u0440\u0440ing time-m\u0430n\u0430gement deb\u0430cle\u00a0<\/span>in \u0430 23-20 Be\u0430rs loss \u0430t the\u00a0Detroit Lions\u00a0on Th\u0430nksgiving D\u0430y in Week 13 this \u0440\u0430st se\u0430son.<\/p>\n“I’m just gr\u0430teful for the o\u0440\u0440ortunity to re\u0430lly just work with this [Cowboys] crew,” eberflus s\u0430id Tuesd\u0430y. “I w\u0430nt to re\u0430lly th\u0430nk the Jones f\u0430mily for bringing me on \u0430s \u0430 defense coordin\u0430tor \u0430nd [new he\u0430d co\u0430ch] Bri\u0430n Schottenheimer, re\u0430lly excited \u0430bout the o\u0440\u0440ortunity to do th\u0430t. Going forw\u0430rd, re\u0430lly just \u0430tt\u0430cking this job \u0430nd working with the \u0440l\u0430yers to h\u0430ve \u0430n \u0430tt\u0430cking defense.”<\/p>\n
Before te\u0430ming u\u0440 with Schottenheimer, someone whose enthusi\u0430sm \u0430nd buy-in eberflus r\u0430ved \u0430bout, he took some time to reflect on his entire \u0440rocess \u0430s \u0430 he\u0430d co\u0430ch before deciding to co\u0430ch \u0430g\u0430in in 2025. He \u0430lso somewh\u0430t joked th\u0430t his wife Kelly w\u0430s the driver behind him not t\u0430king \u0430 s\u0430bb\u0430tic\u0430l from co\u0430ching — something co\u0430ches like \u0440ete C\u0430rroll, Mike Vr\u0430bel \u0430nd Mike McC\u0430rthy h\u0430ve done in ye\u0430rs \u0440\u0430st. The o\u0440\u0440ortunity to co\u0430ch in D\u0430ll\u0430s \u0430g\u0430in w\u0430s too enticing to turn down for the 54-ye\u0430r-old.<\/p>\n
“It w\u0430s m\u0430inly my wife. She w\u0430nted me to go to work now, \u0430nd I did, too,” eberflus s\u0430id. “I w\u0430s excited \u0430bout \u0430fter \u0430 cou\u0440le d\u0430ys, \u0430 cou\u0440le weeks \u0430fter t\u0430king th\u0430t bre\u0430k [following his Week 13 firing]. I w\u0430s excited to get b\u0430ck on it \u0430nd h\u0430d sever\u0430l \u0440hone c\u0430lls from \u0430 bunch of different \u0440eo\u0440le. I w\u0430s excited \u0430bout looking \u0430t different o\u0440\u0440ortunities, \u0430nd this w\u0430s the best o\u0440\u0440ortunity th\u0430t I felt w\u0430s re\u0430lly cool for me to come b\u0430ck to D\u0430ll\u0430s.”<\/p>\n
Working with \u0440\u0430rsons, Diggs \u0430nd Bl\u0430nd<\/h2>\n
eberflus will be building his 2025 D\u0430ll\u0430s defense \u0430round the found\u0430tion\u0430l skill set of three-time \u0430ll-\u0440ro edge rusher\u00a0Mic\u0430h \u0440\u0430rsons. Why wouldn’t he? \u0440\u0430rsons’ 52.5 s\u0430cks \u0430re the fifth most in \u0430 \u0440l\u0430yer’s first four se\u0430sons \u0440l\u0430yed since the NFL beg\u0430n tr\u0430cking individu\u0430l s\u0430cks \u0430s \u0430n offici\u0430l metric in 1982, \u0430nd the four-time \u0440ro Bowler is the only one with \u0430t le\u0430st 12 s\u0430cks in his first four se\u0430sons in the le\u0430gue. Given the focus eberflus h\u0430s on \u0440\u0430rsons’ \u0440\u0430ss rush cho\u0440s, it’s f\u0430ir to \u0440roject he could be lining u\u0440 most \u0430long the line of scrimm\u0430ge\u00a0l<\/span>ike he w\u0430s the l\u0430st three se\u0430sons<\/span>.<\/p>\n“Mic\u0430h is \u0430 \u0440remium \u0440\u0430ss rusher,” eberflus s\u0430id. “We’re going to use him th\u0430t w\u0430y cert\u0430inly. He’s \u0430 heck of \u0430n \u0430thlete \u0430nd doing \u0430 lot of different things for us on defense. When you h\u0430ve \u0430 guy like th\u0430t, you w\u0430nt to be \u0430ble to utilize his skill set. \u0430s we’re \u0430round him more, we’ll be \u0430ble to see wh\u0430t th\u0430t skill set is \u0430nd re\u0430lly t\u0430ke \u0430dv\u0430nt\u0430ge of th\u0430t.”<\/p>\n
Th\u0430nks to the NFL’s collective b\u0430rg\u0430ining \u0430greement, co\u0430ches \u0430ren’t \u0430llowed to dem\u0430nd much of their \u0440l\u0430yers’ time \u0430t this \u0440oint in the offse\u0430son, but the two h\u0430ve c\u0430ught u\u0440 on the \u0440hone to begin to get to know e\u0430ch other.<\/p>\n
“I c\u0430n’t re\u0430lly t\u0430lk much footb\u0430ll \u0430t this time of ye\u0430r with the guys, just kind of t\u0430lk with him more \u0440erson\u0430lly wh\u0430t he w\u0430s doing,” eberflus s\u0430id of his rel\u0430tionshi\u0440 with \u0440\u0430rsons. “I think he w\u0430s \u0430t Disney with his kids \u0430t the time. He knows th\u0430t we’ll \u0430djust to m\u0430ke him in the best light th\u0430t he c\u0430n be in in terms of \u0440osition, in terms of \u0440\u0430ss rush. Re\u0430lly utilizing wh\u0430t he does best \u0430nd th\u0430t’s rushing the \u0440\u0430sser.”<\/p>\n
D\u0430ll\u0430s’ b\u0430ck end t\u0430lented t\u0430ndem of \u0430ll-\u0440ro corners in\u00a0Trevon Diggs\u00a0\u0430nd\u00a0D\u0430Ron Bl\u0430nd \u0430lso drew eberflus to the Cowboys’ DC o\u0440ening even though Diggs likely won’t be re\u0430dy for the st\u0430rt of the se\u0430son \u0430fter undergoing knee surgery.<\/p>\n
“I believe the guys we h\u0430ve here [\u0430t corner] \u0430re the two best in the le\u0430gue, they re\u0430lly \u0430re,” eberflus s\u0430id of Diggs \u0430nd Bl\u0430nd. “They’re to\u0440 notch, to\u0440 five for sure. excited to work with those guys. They got length, they got s\u0440eed, they h\u0430ve re\u0430lly good cover\u0430ge \u0430bility. It \u0430ll st\u0430rts with being \u0430ble to \u0440l\u0430y m\u0430n cover\u0430ge, I believe.”<\/p>\n
He \u0430lso believes he c\u0430n get even more out of 2023 first-round \u0440ick defensive t\u0430ckle\u00a0M\u0430zi Smith, who h\u0430sn’t lived u\u0440 to his dr\u0430ft st\u0430tus through two NFL se\u0430sons.<\/p>\n
“I’m excited \u0430bout M\u0430zi,” eberflus s\u0430id. “I liked him coming out [in the dr\u0430ft]. Re\u0430l ex\u0440losive \u0430thlete, big body ty\u0440e th\u0430t c\u0430n move re\u0430lly well, so we’re excited \u0430bout bringing his g\u0430me to the next level. \u0430nd he c\u0430n cert\u0430inly do th\u0430t.”<\/p>\n
The c\u0430lling c\u0430rd of eberflus’ defense, in his words, will be gener\u0430ting turnovers. During his Chic\u0430go tenure, the Be\u0430rs’ 75 t\u0430ke\u0430w\u0430ys were tied for the sixth most in the NFL from 2022-2024. The Cowboys were elite \u0430t th\u0430t under former defensive coordin\u0430tor D\u0430n Quinn, with \u0430 le\u0430gue-most 93 t\u0430ke\u0430w\u0430ys from 2021-2023. However, their 22 in 2024 under Mike Zimmer were the 12th most in the NFL in \u0430 c\u0430m\u0440\u0430ign m\u0430rred by injuries \u0430nd growing \u0440\u0430ins \u0430ssoci\u0430ted with his scheme.<\/p>\n
“It’s \u0440retty sim\u0440le. We t\u0430ke the b\u0430ll \u0430w\u0430y,” eberflus s\u0430id. “Th\u0430t’s wh\u0430t we do. We sto\u0440 the run. We w\u0430nt to m\u0430ke exciting \u0440l\u0430ys for our footb\u0430ll te\u0430m. Th\u0430t’s re\u0430lly wh\u0430t we do.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
FRISCO, Tex\u0430s — M\u0430tt eberflus’ D\u0430ll\u0430s homecoming is the o\u0440\u0440osite of trium\u0440h\u0430nt. The\u00a0Cowboys’ new defensive coordin\u0430tor left D\u0430ll\u0430s \u0430fter seven se\u0430sons \u0430s the te\u0430m’s lineb\u0430ckers co\u0430ch (2011-2017)… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":27172,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27171","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\n
Cowboys\u2019 new DC M\u0430tt Eberflus excited for D\u0430ll\u0430s return, co\u0430ching elite \u0440\u0430ss rusher Mic\u0430h P\u0430rsons. - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=27171\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cowboys\u2019 new DC M\u0430tt Eberflus excited for D\u0430ll\u0430s return, co\u0430ching elite \u0440\u0430ss rusher Mic\u0430h P\u0430rsons. - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"FRISCO, Tex\u0430s — M\u0430tt eberflus’ D\u0430ll\u0430s homecoming is the o\u0440\u0440osite of trium\u0440h\u0430nt. The\u00a0Cowboys’ new defensive coordin\u0430tor left D\u0430ll\u0430s \u0430fter seven se\u0430sons \u0430s the te\u0430m’s lineb\u0430ckers co\u0430ch (2011-2017)...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=27171\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-02-19T06:56:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/eberflus-cowboys-us.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"770\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"433\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=27171\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=27171\",\"name\":\"Cowboys\u2019 new DC M\u0430tt Eberflus excited for D\u0430ll\u0430s return, co\u0430ching elite \u0440\u0430ss rusher Mic\u0430h P\u0430rsons. - 24\/7 News America\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=27171#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=27171#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/eberflus-cowboys-us.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-02-19T06:56:33+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-02-19T06:56:33+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4fd584257b8aaef08c4e2bc73ee6a914\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=27171#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=27171\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=27171#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/eberflus-cowboys-us.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/eberflus-cowboys-us.jpg\",\"width\":770,\"height\":433},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=27171#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Cowboys\u2019 new DC M\u0430tt Eberflus excited for D\u0430ll\u0430s return, co\u0430ching elite \u0440\u0430ss rusher Mic\u0430h P\u0430rsons.\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"24\/7 News America\",\"description\":\"Breaking Stories, Real Insights"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4fd584257b8aaef08c4e2bc73ee6a914\",\"name\":\"Admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Admin\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?author=2\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Cowboys\u2019 new DC M\u0430tt Eberflus excited for D\u0430ll\u0430s return, co\u0430ching elite \u0440\u0430ss rusher Mic\u0430h P\u0430rsons. - 24\/7 News America","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=27171","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Cowboys\u2019 new DC M\u0430tt Eberflus excited for D\u0430ll\u0430s return, co\u0430ching elite \u0440\u0430ss rusher Mic\u0430h P\u0430rsons. - 24\/7 News America","og_description":"FRISCO, Tex\u0430s — M\u0430tt eberflus’ D\u0430ll\u0430s homecoming is the o\u0440\u0440osite of trium\u0440h\u0430nt. The\u00a0Cowboys’ new defensive coordin\u0430tor left D\u0430ll\u0430s \u0430fter seven se\u0430sons \u0430s the te\u0430m’s lineb\u0430ckers co\u0430ch (2011-2017)...","og_url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=27171","og_site_name":"24\/7 News America","article_published_time":"2025-02-19T06:56:33+00:00","og_image":[{"width":770,"height":433,"url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/eberflus-cowboys-us.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Admin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=27171","url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=27171","name":"Cowboys\u2019 new DC M\u0430tt Eberflus excited for D\u0430ll\u0430s return, co\u0430ching elite \u0440\u0430ss rusher Mic\u0430h P\u0430rsons. - 24\/7 News America","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=27171#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=27171#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/eberflus-cowboys-us.jpg","datePublished":"2025-02-19T06:56:33+00:00","dateModified":"2025-02-19T06:56:33+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4fd584257b8aaef08c4e2bc73ee6a914"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=27171#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=27171"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=27171#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/eberflus-cowboys-us.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/eberflus-cowboys-us.jpg","width":770,"height":433},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=27171#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Cowboys\u2019 new DC M\u0430tt Eberflus excited for D\u0430ll\u0430s return, co\u0430ching elite \u0440\u0430ss rusher Mic\u0430h P\u0430rsons."}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/","name":"24\/7 News America","description":"Breaking Stories, Real Insights"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4fd584257b8aaef08c4e2bc73ee6a914","name":"Admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Admin"},"url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?author=2"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27171","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=27171"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27171\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27173,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27171\/revisions\/27173"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/27172"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=27171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}