Post by Terd Ferguson on Jan 10, 2013 13:27:10 GMT -6
Who will it be? My preference is Lovie, but it is hard to argue with what Kiffin did for so long. Dude really knows defense and consistently put out championship quality units even when the offenses were garbage.
espn.go.com/blog/dallas/cowboys/post/_/id/4704612/does-monte-kiffin-make-sense-for-cowboys?
Monte Kiffin is the leading candidate to become the Cowboys’ next defensive coordinator, ESPN’s Ed Werder reports.
Would that be a wise move?
The 72-year-old Kiffin, credited as the inventor of the famed “Tampa Two” 4-3 scheme, earned a reputation as one of the legendary defensive coordinators in NFL history during his 13-year tenure with the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay ranked among the NFL’s top 10 in scoring defense 11 times and total defense 12 times under Kiffin. The Bucs were top five in both categories six times, including a double No. 1 overall rank during their Super Bowl championship season.
You won’t find many NFL defensive coordinators with more impressive resumes. However, the Tampa Two zone would be a curious scheme fit for a franchise that made two major investments in press-man corners last offseason, giving Brandon Carr a five-year, $50.1 million deal and trading up to draft Morris Claiborne with the sixth overall pick.
And Kiffin didn't enjoy nearly as much success during his foray into college football to coach on his son Lane’s staffs at Tennessee and USC. In fact, Kiffin’s last season at USC was awful.
The Trojans became the first team in 48 seasons to go from being No. 1 in the preseason polls to unranked at the end of the season. USC finished the season 7-6, losing five of its final six games, a skid that started when Kiffin’s defense allowed 39 points to Arizona and 62 points to Oregon. USC ranked 40th in the nation in scoring defense (24.3 points per game) and 60th in total defense (394.0).
Oregon’s dominance of Kiffin’s defense is especially alarming. The Ducks racked up 730 total yards in their win at Los Angeles Coliseum, with running back Kenjon Barner rushing for 321 yards and five touchdowns.
Chip Kelly stayed at Oregon instead of taking the Eagles’ job, but the Cowboys will still have to face a team that runs a lot of zone read out of the spread twice per season, assuming Robert Griffin III recovers from his serious knee injury. The Redskins just so happen to be the team that ended the Cowboys' season and could dominate the division for the next decade.
How can the Cowboys be confident that Kiffin can help them catch up with the Redskins?
