The Dallas Cowboys have platformed new defensive coordinator at savior of the defense and potentially the lynch pin to any super bowl success to the team hopes to finally have in 2026.
The offense, led by quarterback Dak Prescott and receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, is considered championship ready.
It was the defense that ranked at bottom of the NFL and was the worst in franchise history a year ago, that was in need of an up grade and an infusion in the form of Parker, the 34-year-old neophyte who the team has already been hailed a rising star and a differencemaker.
The start of the season is still a month of away and time will tell how it all works out.
But Parker is already navigating his first setback as Cowboys coordinator while also getting a real and rude awakening about how things work in the bubble of America’s Team.
Per sources, it was Parker who initiated the brief code red on the media training camp, temporarily blocking them from shooting video during team portions of training camp.
Not only was the media under scrutiny but so were the fans.
The coaches didn’t the fans as the training camp practices shooting video with their cell phones as well.
There was a plan to put signs up the stands. It’s not an uncommon occurance in the NFL.
Several other teams ban the fans a media from filming practice in attempt to protect their schemes and plans from opposing coaches.
But they are not the Cowboys, the most popular team in the NFL and richest franchise in all of sports.
Parker’s novel idea was summarily nixed once media-friendly owner Jerry Jones and the front office got wind of the plan.
Parker acknowledged during an interview on 105.3 The Fan that he wasn’t “a fan,” of the media shooting video during practice and immediately sharing it to the world and thus other teams via social media.
Thanks to the media, Parker admitted to having “found some things” about the Cowboys from practice video online.
“It’s weird,” Park said. “I was following some of our media members and stuff even before I got [to the Cowboys] because when I was in Green Bay and Denver and Philadelphia, I’ve played Dallas in all three spots, us kinda trying to look for things…When you’re in Week 1 or 2, you’re looking for things.”
Parker lost that battle but there is still a war to be won on the field.
He’s get used to brief in-house access skirmishes.
Can’t wait to see him handle the fan tour’s through the facility while the Cowboys are trying to prepare for a game.
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer is now a veteran of the day-to-day dealings in the bubble of America’s Team.
He doesn’t think the media and fans video practice is a big deal, at least publicy.
“You know me, I think at the end of the day, I don’t worry about that stuff too much,” Schottenheimer said to the media Saturday before a practice was live-streamed by the Cowboys’ own production team. “I mean, we all have each other’s playbooks. We all know what we run. We have videos going back decades that we can pull up. It’s not like they’re showing it from a game standpoint; the camera’s on, it’s moving. Are there things you can get? Yeah. But we get the same thing. So that doesn’t bother me.”
“No, I’ve not always been that way,” Schottenheimer said regarding his current attitude toward the filming of practice. “I think my dad [Marty] was definitely like, absolutely not. I think it’s more as I’ve gotten older and been around it and understanding. And look, we like eyes on us with the Cowboys. It’s a good thing. We’re proud of our brand and it doesn’t bother me.”
It doesn’t matter if it did.
Jones likes it this way.
