Now in his fourth season as the defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys, Rod Marinelli seems to escape all accountability for his failures at his job.
There’s quickly becoming three certainties in life. Death, taxes and a defensive meltdown from the Dallas Cowboys. This unit can’t seem to get out of its own way. Whether it’s an ill-timed penalty, or a complete letdown when the offense needs a stop to pull off a win after an eight minute-drive. The Cowboys defense simply is awful.
Despite their inadequacies, it seems like defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli just keeps getting a pass. Not only that, he’s one of the highest praised defensive coordinators in football. That makes no sense, because for four years now, his side of the ball has been a liability.
In Week 5, that liability hit an all-time low for the Cowboys when the offense had their second-consecutive game getting over 30 points and 400-plus yards in a losing effort. According to NFL Research, the Cowboys have done by themselves this as many times this season as all other 31 teams combined.
That’s the kind of failure that should have people fighting for their job. In Dallas, it doesn’t work that way for some reason. Instead, Marinelli gets the endless excuse that his players are the problem and not him.
More from Dallas Cowboys
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Zack is back, good news for Dak and the Cowboys
- Dallas Cowboys: Are Dak’s interceptions cause for concern?
- Cowboys: Micah Parsons will be even more impactful in 2023
- 2023 NFL Season: It’s now or never for the Dallas Cowboys
Let’s challenge that theory though. The biggest knock on the Marinelli-coached defense is the complete lack of turnovers. They haven’t recorded any since cornerback Jourdan Lewis picked off a pass in Week 2. His was just their second of the season, and they once again are awful in the turnover department at minus-three. However, players who left Dallas after not creating turnovers for them are doing much better now that they’re not being “coached up” by Marinelli.
Former safety Barry Church got his first career touchdown in Week 5 with a pick-six for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Terrance Mitchell — a former seventh-round pick at corner — has two interceptions on the season, as does cornerback Brandon Carr. Yes, the same Carr who went years without picks in Dallas. Even safety J.J. Wilcox and first-round “bust” corner Morris Claiborne have an interception apiece.
So to add that up, the players Dallas couldn’t get turnovers with the last few seasons under Marinelli have seven among them in just five weeks. That’s proof it isn’t the players that are the issue, but a flawed system they’re in that doesn’t put them in position to make game-changing plays or utilize their talent.
Just as troubling for the Cowboys defense under Marinelli has been their inability to make adjustments in the second half. In their Week 5 loss to the Packers, it was clear that the Green Bay offense had adjusted, running the ball more often and taking a different approach. Rather than counter, Marinelli stood the course and his guys were torched for it.
Next: NFL 2017: 20 Bold predictions for Week 6
Marinelli is a popular guy though, so don’t expect the accountability to come anytime soon. Instead, look for the excuses to continue and the players to perform better after they leave. Because it’s painfully apparent, there’s no accountability for Rod Marinelli in Big D. Just plenty of excuses for continued failure.