Jayron Kearse being back in the fold is bigger news for the Cowboys defense than people would think

 How we consume our football is largely based on what people find interesting. You know, what gets the clicks going. This sport is far too nuanced for that to always lead us in the right direction, but it is probably easier to just answer Micah Parsons for every question on why the defense was so much better than it was in 2020.

You know I won’t do that to you here. Although I will quickly concede that Parsons is a franchise-altering draft pick at this current pace of play. Also, keeping Dan Quinn around makes me very pleased with how well this defense has a chance to continue its build with some nice development down the same course. Continuity is a massive key in this league and the Cowboys have a chance to put some nice things on top of their sturdy foundation.

https://theathletic.com/3213741/2022/03/28/jayron-kearse-being-back-in-the-fold-is-bigger-news-for-the-cowboys-defense-than-people-would-think/

Dan Quinn and Micah Parsons redefined the possibilities for the Cowboys and deserve all of the credit

 We are right in the thick of our draft studies this week as the party has shifted to Indianapolis for the NFL Scouting Combine. Here at the “Sturm 60 HQ,” we are stressing out about how to make 68 prospects fit into 60 spots and figuring that whoever doesn’t make the cut will be more likely to be selected by Dallas. Today, I will get the 24th player fully evaluated.

https://theathletic.com/3154424/2022/03/01/dan-quinn-and-micah-parsons-redefined-the-possibilities-and-deserve-all-of-the-credit/

The ground and pound of the Kyle Shanahan attack wins the day and likely ends the Cowboys’ Dan Quinn era

 As I stated Tueday, I would absolutely assign the “loss” for this gutting playoff defeat with San Francisco on the offense. The lion’s share of blame must go to that side of the football and it rightfully will in this space. There is no question where the Cowboys have prioritized their budget and expectation level. The offense was given plenty and on Sunday delivered little.

https://theathletic.com/3079694/2022/01/19/the-ground-and-pound-of-the-kyle-shanahan-attack-wins-the-day-and-likely-ends-the-cowboys-dan-quinn-era/

Dan Quinn is with the Cowboys (for now) and he definitely wants another Super Bowl run before he goes

 This is the end, my friend.

Sunday starts the end. That end could take either a month or a few hours. We certainly don’t know which, but we also know what we would all prefer.

And whether the season ends this Sunday or in one month in the Super Bowl, we are getting a pretty clear message that Dan Quinn’s era as the architect of this defense will come to an end. Who could have imagined that the year he spent here would have gone so well?

https://theathletic.com/3066555/2022/01/12/dan-quinn-is-with-the-cowboys-for-now-and-he-definitely-wants-another-super-bowl-run-before-he-goes/

Very few challenges are like the Kyler Murray challenge: Dan Quinn’s Cowboys defense needs work

There are many ways to evaluate Sunday and most of the pointed questions were asked of the failed offensive performance Tuesday. Unlike their mates who handle business across the line of scrimmage, the Cowboys defense put up a fight that we can probably point toward as “potentially capable of beating Arizona in a rematch.” The bar is not the highest ever, but it should be meaningful. 

https://theathletic.com/3051999/2022/01/05/very-few-challenges-are-like-the-kyler-murray-challenge-dan-quinns-cowboys-defense-needs-work/

The Cowboys dial up more pressure as the sacks and turnovers continue to stack up: Dan Quinn report

 The Cowboys defense is currently in uncharted waters. We don’t know how to process this.

As we head into Week 17 with a mighty challenge lurking — and obviously many bigger ones on the horizon — Dallas welcomes the new year with the unthinkable No. 1 ranking in the NFL in takeaways.

https://theathletic.com/3040577/2021/12/30/the-cowboys-dial-up-more-pressure-as-the-sacks-and-turnovers-continue-to-stack-up-dan-quinn-report/

DeMarcus Lawrence is back and as dangerous as ever. Dan Quinn’s defense has leveled up

 “Y’all know me, still the same O.G. but I been low-key” — Dr. Dre

To steal a lyric that plays in my head just about every time I see DeMarcus Lawrence doing what he does since his return, I suspect some of you have forgotten about Tank.

Lawrence is back and he is wrecking things. There was a play early in this game in New Jersey on Sunday that demonstrates what this all means. You see, Lawrence is one of the most productive defensive edges in the NFL in the past five years even though his own fan base often questions his quality. This, of course, is all the more remarkable when you consider that he has never really had much help with him.

https://theathletic.com/3030601/2021/12/22/demarcus-lawrence-is-back-and-as-dangerous-as-ever-dan-quinns-defense-has-leveled-up/

Sometimes, you have special players making plays that defy X’s and O’s. The Cowboys did: Dan Quinn Report

 We love revisionist history when it means good things have happened. When the pregame chatter of what Washington’s offense can do to you turns out to be a false alarm and by halftime you are wondering how the WFT ever strung together four straight wins — including a win over the Super Bowl champions — you will take it every time.

https://theathletic.com/3017774/2021/12/16/sometimes-you-have-special-players-making-plays-that-defy-xs-and-os-the-cowboys-did-dan-quinn-report/

Tyreek Hill and Kansas City get enough done, but the Cowboys defense stands tall: Dan Quinn Report

 I realize that this is a short week and I am probably violating my sacred vow to have you ready for the Raiders game, but let’s give this Chiefs performance a little love for this last piece before Friday’s Morning After the Thanksgiving game.

The Cowboys defense did very well in this game. Not perfect and not really close to perfect, but when you play an offense that good and grow into the game where you are winning more battles than losing once you make your adjustments and catch your breath, we probably have very little bad to say about the defense.

https://theathletic.com/2976332/2021/11/24/tyreek-hill-and-kansas-city-get-enough-done-but-the-cowboys-defense-stands-tall-dan-quinn-report/

The Cowboys’ performance against the Falcons might be best one yet: Dan Quinn Report

 The Cowboys defense needed a response from what was a poor performance versus Denver. In that game, the Cowboys missed tackles, must have forgotten the fundamentals of run defense and were unable to make any plays on the ball.

In a full-team failure in Week 9, it was going to be interesting to see how they responded in Week 10. It also helped that it was an opportunity for Dan Quinn, Keanu Neal and Damontae Kazee to look across the field at their previous employer that bid each of them farewell in 2020.

https://theathletic.com/2961602/2021/11/17/the-cowboys-performance-against-the-falcons-might-be-best-one-yet-dan-quinn-report/

The Cowboys run defense was bad vs. the Broncos — not quite 2020 bad — but still not good: Quinn Report

 It had been a while since this sort of defensive performance has been seen around here. The transformation of the 2021 Cowboys defense from what 2020 produced has been massive and impressive. That defense was poor in all of the important fundamentals and disorganized.

This defense has lined up well, battled hard and started by stopping the run.

Until Sunday.

https://theathletic.com/2946349/2021/11/10/the-cowboys-run-defense-was-bad-vs-the-broncos-not-quite-2020-bad-but-still-not-good-quinn-report/

Cowboys DC Dan Quinn does what Mike Nolan couldn’t — find an aggressive complementary approach

 Trying to track a football team’s growth is similar to measuring your child’s growth — it is certainly not going to yield many results if you do it too often. If you are waiting for your kid to come down to breakfast so you can make them stand up straight and see if they grew overnight, you will likely not see much. But if you do it every 90 days or so, the differences might be stark.

https://theathletic.com/2916386/2021/10/27/cowboys-dc-dan-quinn-does-what-mike-nolan-couldnt-find-an-aggressive-complementary-approach/

What is Dan Quinn thinking? We sort through the evidence to figure out his plan for the Cowboys’ defense

 The game is already in the rearview mirror and it is definitely, "On to Los Angeles", but Wednesdays are when we look at the defense under a thorough microscope. Tom Brady demonstrated a level of excellence that a 44-year-old has never shown before in the Bucs ' Week 1 win, and he continues to incinerate the envelope of what is possible. He played what could have certainly been a perfect game if it wasn't for a few drops and a tipped pass.

https://theathletic.com/2827557/2021/09/15/what-is-dan-quinn-thinking-we-sort-through-the-evidence-to-figure-out-his-plan-for-the-cowboys-defense/

The Cowboys Mailbag: Futures of Mike McCarthy, Kellen Moore and Dan Quinn are tied together

 The good news about mid-to-late June is that we have almost navigated through all of the “NFL offseason” as we have managed to kill off all but five weeks or so until the opening of training camp.

https://theathletic.com/2657487/2021/06/17/the-cowboys-mailbag-futures-of-mike-mccarthy-kellen-moore-and-dan-quinn-are-tied-together/

Turnovers are forever the name of the game. Can Dallas expect a carryover from 2020?

 There is no question that the Dallas Cowboys and their many machinations of defense over the last decade-plus have had a takeaway problem. Every coach has told us that in order to understand the secrets of football, we must simply understand the importance of winning the turnover battle. Then, for years and years, we have seen the Cowboys almost never end up too strong in that department, mostly because the defense cannot make a single play.

https://theathletic.com/2637066/2021/06/08/turnovers-are-forever-the-name-of-the-game-can-dallas-expect-a-carryover-from-2020/

Dan Quinn and the Cowboys defense: Trying to sort through the general plan requires guesswork

 We are in project/vacation season and this will carry us right up until California welcomes back those Dallas Cowboys campers (we hope).

Until then, I have been tasked to run through an inventory of ideas, and while some of these pieces will provide answers, others will simply present questions that are still developing.

https://theathletic.com/2594203/2021/05/18/dan-quinn-and-the-cowboys-defense-trying-to-sort-through-the-general-plan-requires-guesswork/

Why Dan Quinn is the Cowboys’ best bet to get their defensive overhaul right

 It’s rather easy to assume that the courting of new Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn did not just begin Friday when Dallas officially dismissed former DC Mike Nolan.

https://theathletic.com/2320260/2021/01/13/dan-quinn-cowboys-nfl-coordinator-defense/