OXNARD, California (KLTV) -Two weeks into Dallas Cowboys training camp, first-year defensive coordinator Christian Parker has emerged as one of the most talked-about figures on the roster.
Parker, 34, is the youngest defensive coordinator in Cowboys history. He previously held coaching positions with the Denver Broncos and the Philadelphia Eagles before joining Dallas in his first role as a defensive coordinator.
A hire that almost didn’t happen
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Head coach Brian Schottenheimer said Parker was the ninth of nine candidates interviewed via Zoom — and nearly wasn’t considered at all.
“It wasn’t immediately. He was very impressive. He was the ninth zoom of nine zooms. And I actually, I really didn’t want to do it,” Schottenheimer said. “I felt really good about the candidates, but a few people, Ryan Peter being one of them, said, ‘Hey, you need to do this,’ because Christian had been on my radar for a while.”
Schottenheimer said an in-person visit sealed the decision.
“It wasn’t until probably Bill that we got him in the building and saw him in front of the room. We kind of do a mock team meeting and defensive end stall and stuff like that, where he kind of made it to where it was like, ‘This could be the guy,’” Schottenheimer said.
Parker’s coaching philosophy
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Parker outlined his approach to building the defense.
“The first thing is we want to be detailed in our work and our fundamentals and technique and obviously the mastery of the scheme. But there’s an element of violence and physicality that we want to play with, that we will play with,” Parker said.
Players respond to new coordinator
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Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown said he and Parker have developed a strong working relationship.
“I’m at the point where I went with him so many times we have talked over all situations, you know. We’ve got some base calls and if they might go out and we’re in a situation, he’s looking at me to call the right thing,” Overshown said. “The fact that he trusts me with that kind of tells how me and CP’s relationship has been. Like I said, I want to be an extension of him on the field and that’s what I’m pushing towards.”
Parker also described his approach to teaching individual players.
“Part of teaching is knowing where your student is and then trying to elevate him. So you want to understand how they learn best — are they a walkthrough guy? Well, then you need to go outside or stand them up in the meeting room. Do they like studying on their own? Do you need to give them more materials so they can do stuff by themselves?” Parker said.
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