Mike Zimmer, DC, Atlanta Falcons

January 22, 2007 @ 16:00:00

By Bryce McRae
Edited by Cory J. Bonini

Background

With uncertainty over his future with the team, in addition to an expiring contract, it was no surprise when Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer jumped ship after being offered a job with the Atlanta Falcons.

Zimmer had been with the Cowboys in some capacity for the past 13 seasons. In that time, he was part of one Super Bowl title, four NFC East division championships and six playoff berths. He served as the team's secondary coach for the opening six years of his tenure in Dallas before being named defensive coordinator in 2000. Perhaps the thing that speaks best to his abilities is that he was retained each time the Cowboys changed coaches, working under a total of four different head coaches (Barry Switzer, Chan Gailey, Dave Campo and Bill Parcells). This last year in Dallas was probably his most challenging as Parcells wanted him to use a 3-4 system, rather than the 4-3 system he preferred to.

Zimmer has been a coach at one level or another since 1979, when he was hired as a part-time defensive assistant at the University of Missouri. His next coaching job came with Weber State, where he was their inside linebackers coach from 1981-84, their defensive backs coach from 1985-88 and their defensive coordinator from 1983-88. It was in his final season with Weber State that he coached on the same team as current Falcons head coach Bobby Petrino.

From 1989-1993 Zimmer served as the Washington State University's defensive coordinator. He was then given the chance at the NFL level in 1994 as an assistant coach of the nickel defense under Switzer. He was then promoted to defensive backs coach for the 1995 season and served in that capacity until his appointment as defensive coordinator in 2000.

Zimmer's father, Bill Zimmer, played football for the San Francisco 49ers, so the younger Zimmer has grown up in the game. If he can bring his success with the Cowboys to the Falcons, it shouldn't be too much to expect him to improve a unit that underperformed last season.

His numbers as defensive coordinator with the team the past five seasons look like this.

Table: Cowboys Defense under Zimmer (2002-06)

Year	Pass Yds Allwd/GM	Rush Yds Allwd/GM	Sacks	Takeaways
2002	215.6	113.6	24	29
2003	164.4	89.1	32	25
2004	220.1	110.2	33	22
2005	192.7	108.2	37	26
2006	219.1	103.6	34	31

What He Brings to the Table

With Petrino's expertise coming on the offensive side of the ball, Zimmer should be given free reign on the defensive side. Part of the reason he was hired was because of his experience with the 4-3 system, which the Falcons will be running next season. Zimmer's best years in Dallas came when the team was using veteran defensive backs such as Deion Sanders and Darren Woodson. He hasn't had that the last few seasons in Dallas. He also failed to get the most of the team's young talent, at least on the line. With a veteran line in Atlanta, he should be able to focus more on helping fix the Falcons' pass coverage.

It is Atlanta's pass defense that needs the most work this offseason. They ranked 29th in the league in last season in passing yards allowed, giving up 244 per game to the quarterback position. They also only intercepted 12 passes, which was tied for 25th in the league. He will need to get significant improvement from the corners this season. Part of that improvement could come from an improved pass rush, which will take pressure off the backs. There is no question they have talent at the linebacker and in the secondary but will be crucial for Zimmer to get them fired up as well as communicating properly.

One big question mark surrounding Zimmer was how much he was to be blamed for the Cowboys late-season collapse this year. He has taken a large brunt of the criticism, but it was likely Parcells was just as responsible the defensive side of the ball as Zimmer was. One problem Zimmer has had in his time with the Cowboys has been a lack of a dominant pass rush. His defenses have averaged 32 sacks per season, which ranks right around the middle of the league. That came despite having some standout lineman in Greg Ellis and defensive end/linebacker DeMarcus Ware. Over his past two seasons he failed to get much from talented defensive end Chris Canty and former first-round draft pick Marcus Spears. Many thought he was being too passive in his use of Canty, rather than just setting him loose to make plays. He also has done a poor job of disguising his blitzes, as well as not blitzing enough. However, with Petrino wanting an aggressive defense this season, Zimmer could be forced to blitz more often.

The run defense, as it has been the past three years under former defensive coordinator Ed Donatell, was again in the top 10. They allowed only 96 rushing yards per game to the position last season. They have two big bodies in the middle with defensive tackles Grady Jackson and Rod Coleman, which makes it hard for teams to run up the gut against them. This will be crucial in helping keep lineman off of former All-Pro defensive end John Abraham. Abraham came over to the Falcons last offseason in a much-publicized trade; however, he failed to put up the same numbers he did with the New York Jets. Playing in only eight games with the team, he picked up only 18 total tackles and four sacks. If he can get back to his career-averages of 8.3 sacks per year, he should move the Falcons into the top third of the league in sacks.

The linebackers will also play an important role in the run defense; however, they will have to improve in their pass coverage. That seems to be a common theme among the team and will be a definite question heading into training camp. Don't be surprised to see some of his players, especially the defensive backs, take a dislike to him as he has been known to get in players faces.

Conclusion

The biggest reason for this move wasn't because the team needed a change defensively, although they had underperformed. It was mainly due to the head coaching change. With a new head coach this season, it wasn't likely Donatell was going to be retained. With Zimmer's previous success, he has the experience to get this team performing up to their potential. Now he just needs to make the adjustments. One should note that in recent years, coordinators under Parcells have had success when moving on from him - New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton being the prime examples. If Zimmer can shore up the secondary, which was his specialty in Dallas, this defense should be improved from last season. For a coach who felt as though he had ruined his career by the end of last season, he now gets a shot at redemption with a defense tailor-made for his success.

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Bryce McRae
Bryce McRae is a Managing Editor with KFFL and has been involved in fantasy sports since 1999. He joined KFFL as a volunteer writer in March 2005 before becoming a Hot off the Wire Analyst in March 2006. He began working in his current capacity in September 2008. His work has appeared on fantasy sports sites such as Yahoo! and CBS Sportsline as well as in print. He graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2008 with a B.A. in History and U.S. Studies.

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