Mike Zimmer vs. Aden Durde: Cowboys Scared to ‘Chase Edges’ in Coach Hire?
FRISCO - In terms of convention and experience, the Dallas Cowboys have reason to tout new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer as a “home-run hire.”
But should they have stayed “in-house” … by going “outside the box”?
The Seattle Seahawks new head coach Mike Macdonald, is a first-timer. And so is his new coordinator, Aden Durde, who jumps from being Dallas’ D-line coach into a big job.
Said Macdonald of Durde, who’d never before met the British-born staffer: "Aden came in highly, highly recommended and got on our interview list and knocked it out of the park.”
As we’ve said often, there is no such thing as a “wrong” hire or a “bad” hire; that will be determined only by how it works.
But Seattle and Dallas followed two distinct paths here.
Cowboys boss Jerry Jones has always favored employing an experienced D-coordinator. So has Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy, who as a lame-duck boss in his final contractual year cannot be blamed for wishing to avoid an “experimental” hire.
So Dallas included Durde, 44, on its interview list. But the finalists to replace Washington-bound Dan Quinn were Rex Ryan, 61, and Zimmer, 67. … leaving Quinn disciple to go the Seahawks (where he surely received glowing reviews from former Seattle aide Quinn).
“The good-old boys network” doesn’t make a coach inferior. “New blood” just for the sake of change is foolish, But worthy of examination is something ex-Ravens coordinator Macdonald said about his philosophy in general.
Macdonald said every aspect of the Seahawks organization will be built on the idea of "chasing edges," which he described as a growth mindset with a willingness to try new things.
"It's so competitive in the NFL and it's so hard to win,” he said. “You win on the margins."
Are the Cowboys (who ironically are owned by a man in Jones who is inherently a risk-taker) “chasing edges”? Are they “winning on the margins”?
Zimmer represents a “safe” and smart hire. The same cannot be said with assuredness about Durde. But the Seahawks obviously hope that “not safe” ends up being the smartest move of all.
