'Zim was cooking': Cowboys' protection rolls in debut underneath new DC Mike Zimmer

CLEVELAND — No person on the Dallas Cowboys‘ protection is aware of what a Mike Zimmer protection is meant to seem like greater than linebacker Eric Kendricks.

Kendricks spent the primary seven years of his profession with the Minnesota Vikings when Zimmer was the pinnacle coach and defensive playcaller. When the Cowboys signed the veteran to a free agent deal this offseason — stealing him away from the San Francisco 49ers — it was so he may assist the remainder of the gamers perceive what Zimmer needed.

Within the Cowboys’ 33-17 win towards the Cleveland Browns in Week 1, it appeared precisely how it’s speculated to look.

The Cowboys restricted the Browns to 230 yards on offense. Cleveland transformed simply two of 15 third-down alternatives. Deshaun Watson was sacked six occasions and hit 17 occasions. He was intercepted twice. The Browns ran for 93 yards on 19 carries, however 39 of these yards got here on Watson scrambles.

Ten of Cleveland’s 14 possessions didn’t cross midfield. Within the first half, they had been held to at least one first down.

“I really feel prefer it’s a unique crew now,” Kendricks mentioned. “We now have completely different our bodies. We now have completely different guys. We now have a unique soul. However on the identical time, the nucleus is similar and we will construct off of at the moment. I preserve saying, ‘We’ll construct,’ but it surely’s true. There’s loads of issues we are able to nonetheless clear up.”

Zimmer had been away from the NFL sidelines after he was fired by the Vikings in January 2022, and he needed to observe a coordinator the gamers liked in Dan Quinn. In three years underneath Quinn, the Cowboys led the NFL in takeaways, and Micah Parsons led a move rush that was among the many NFL’s finest.

Zimmer, who was a Cowboys assistant from 1994 to 2006 and coordinator from 2000 to 2006, was introduced on this offseason to shore up a protection that wanted to be its finest at an important moments.

The Browns’ longest play from scrimmage was a 29-yard catch-and-run from tight finish David Njoku. That they had just one different play of at the least 20 yards. Amari Cooper, the previous Cowboys receiver, caught two passes for 16 yards whereas lining up principally towards rookie cornerback Caelen Carson.

“Zim was cooking,” DeMarcus Lawrence mentioned. “The entire protection felt it. We was on the identical web page. It was a lovely factor. Positively joyful we acquired Zim in our nook, calling the photographs on the market, seeing what we see.”

Mentioned cornerback Trevon Diggs: “Everybody’s shopping for into their duty.”

Diggs was taking part in his first sport since tearing the ACL in his left knee in observe final September. He had one of many interceptions. Kendricks had the opposite.

And it was a little bit of Zimmer at his finest.

On second-and-14, Kendricks moved to the top of the road subsequent to Parsons. On the snap, Parsons rushed the quarterback whereas Kendricks dropped into protection. Studying Watson’s eyes, Parsons deflected the move that Kendricks was in a position to corral for the primary interception.

The Cowboys turned that into three factors and a 20-3 lead with 51 seconds left within the first half.

“I simply thought they set the tone with the manufacturing,” coach Mike McCarthy mentioned.

Kendricks had his first two-sack sport since 2016 towards McCarthy’s Green Bay Packers. He grew to become the fifth participant since 1982 to have an interception and two sacks in a group debut, in line with ESPN Stats & Data. (The one different Cowboy to take action was Tommy Haynes in 1987 in a sport that includes replacements in the course of the gamers’ strike.)

Linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, taking part in his first sport after lacking his rookie season with a torn ACL, had 9 tackles, a sack, a sort out for loss and two quarterback hits.

Parsons had his third straight opener with a sack, tying DeMarcus Ware (2010-12) for the longest streak by a Cowboys participant since particular person sacks had been first tracked in 1982.

Lawrence had his first multisack sport since he had three in a win towards the New York Giants on Sept. 26, 2022. And he lamented some sacks he missed.

So did Parsons, who had a sack and a team-high eight pressures.

“I feel I missed like two or three, bro,” Parsons mentioned. “[Watson] is hard. I will have nightmares tonight for certain. I am supposed to start out this 12 months off with three [sacks], however no, it is OK.”

Sixteen video games stay. The alternatives will likely be there, however the Cowboys know a protection that has been good lately goes to stay that approach and perhaps get even higher.

“It is simply Recreation 1,” Lawrence mentioned. “We have an extended approach to go. Lot of studying nonetheless do to. Lot of chemistry to bond collectively.”