Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker described Mike Pettine as his “right-hand man,” but the coaching staff’s hierarchy won’t have the new senior defensive assistant directly reporting to Parker.
Head coach Brian Schottenheimer said on 105.3 The Fan on Friday that Pettine will report directly to him despite his title and Parker’s description of his role suggesting otherwise. Schottenheimer said Pettine will work “side by side” with the rest of the staff and called him a “sounding board” for the first-time coordinator as the Cowboys try to improve on their earlier performance.
Schottenheimer said that Pettine has spent his first days with the team in the film room breaking down the team’s early games and that he expects Pettine to spend more time there than on the field during practices. He also said Pettine will be in the booth during games while Parker continues to coach from the field, which is what Parker said was likely to happen despite Cowboys owner Jerry Jones saying early this week that Parker would coach from the booth moving forward.
If the Cowboys defense starts playing better and the team starts winning consistently, all of the window dressing around Pettine’s arrival will likely fade into the background. If those thing don’t happen, the way the sausage is getting made in Dallas will likely lead to suggestions that they should be starting from scratch with an entirely new approach.
