Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus has made a big decision that he hopes will make a positive impact on the defense. While speaking to reporters on Thursday, Eberflus announced he won’t be on the sideline for the rest of the season and will call the defense from the coaching booth.
“We think it’s going to be a good adjustment,” Matt Eberflus told reporters. The quote came per Jon Machota of The Athletic.
The Cowboys are doing everything they can to finish the season strong and hopefully clinch a playoff spot. With three games remaining, Dallas is 6-7-1 and three games behind the Green Bay Packers for the final playoff spot in the NFC. The Cowboys are also two and a half games behind the NFC East lead, currently held by the Philadelphia Eagles.
The defense has struggled the last two weeks, surrendering 44 points to the Detroit Lions in Week 14 and 34 points to the Minnesota Vikings this past weekend. Overall, Dallas’ defense has not found any consistency, ranking 31st in the NFL in scoring (30 points per game) and 29th in yards allowed (374.9).
Jerry Jones shares thoughts on Matt Eberflus
After the loss to the Vikings, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones was asked if he thought Matt Eberflus was the right coach for the job. Jones expressed clear frustrations.
“The adjustments that we should be making (defensively) should be with these next three games in mind,” Jones said, per Jon Machota of The Athletic. “With three games left in the short time that we’ve got to play them in, then that will impact any adjustments that you make regarding coaching with the time frame we’re dealing with. That’s a legit question.
“I’d like to play better defense, and at the end of the day, that’s what he does. From the standpoint, I know Matt, of course, individually, since he’s coached here for many, many years. But I thought we made some adjustments. They handled it pretty good.”
The Cowboys hired Eberflus in the offseason after hiring Brian Schottenheimer to be the head coach. Before joining Dallas, Eberflus was the head coach of the Chicago Bears for nearly three seasons, compiling a 14-32 record.