“Very, very smart,” executive vice president Stephen Jones told reporters at the Senior Bowl. “Great communicator, which at the end of the day, one of our top priorities is to be a great teacher.
“These defenses are very complicated, but at the same time, he was really good at explaining it not only to coach [Brian] Schottenheimer and to [vice president of player personnel Will McClay], but to Jerry [Jones] and myself that you want to make complicated things seem easy so players can use their athletic ability and play fast and do the things you want them to do, have the identity you want them to have on that side of the ball. He was just outstanding.”
At 34, Parker is the youngest defensive coordinator the Cowboys have ever had, and he is only 14 seasons removed from his coaching debut as the defensive backs coach at Virginia State.
“I’d be lying if I said I knew he’d be the defensive coordinator of the Cowboys 10 years later or whatever it’s been, but he was obviously a very talented young guy,” said Matt Dawson, who was Virginia State’s defensive coordinator and spent 17 years as an assistant in college football. “He picked up a defense that he hadn’t been involved in as a player or coach very quickly, was always receptive to me as a coach, always eager to learn, always asking questions. And honestly, he asked the right questions. He didn’t ask questions to ask questions. There was always a reason behind it.”
Parker was 21 years old at the time.
“He might’ve been one of the youngest guys in the room,” Dawson said. “Some of the guys he coached were probably a little older than him.”
But Dawson said the players never questioned the age of the coach because of the wisdom he gave them.
“I’m proud of him. And he deserves it,” Dawson said. “CP deserves everything. He’s worked hard and he’s a great person. You can’t put a price on those things. He’s earned everything he’s gotten. Nothing’s been given to him. He worked every step of the way.”