‘A Couple Bad Calls By Me’: Dallas Cowboys DC Christian Parker Admits Costly Play-Calling Mistakes In Arizona Cardinals Collapse

FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker said Thursday that he made a couple of bad calls as the Arizona Cardinals rallied in Sunday’s 33-30 overtime loss, mainly one that left Dallas exposed to a swing pass out of the backfield. Arizona scored on four straight touchdown drives, the last three after trailing 24-10 early in the fourth quarter.

The Cardinals earned the right to win with how they executed down the stretch, Parker said. He also pointed to a couple of one-on-one losses.

“Yeah, I think they had some opportunistic plays. There were a couple one-on-one losses. There were a couple just NFL plays in that regard. There were a couple bad calls by me, mainly that swing out of the backfield,” Parker said. “That was too aggressive of a call for that given situation. So I think that, and they had some good execution on their own. I think they earned the right to win with how they executed down the stretch.”

“So we have to do a better job of maintaining our composure and our poise. When things start going the other direction, we have to step up and we have to make a play to kind of stop that. Kind of take the bull by the horns if you will, so we can get off the field,” Parker continued. “Cuz for three quarters, we proved that we can do that and it doesn’t matter if you don’t finish in that way too.”

Christian Parker Explains Why Dallas Cowboys Struggled Against The Run

Tyler Allgeier ran for 147 yards on 11 carries, including a 63-yard touchdown and a 52-yard run in the second half. On big runs like those, Parker said, several people are usually at the scene of the crime.

“Yeah, I think that’s the story of a couple things. And I think on that play specifically, there’s several people at the scene of the crime when it comes to certain plays like that. Whether it’s the block destruction, the missed tackles, the angles, the assumption that maybe somebody’s making a tackle,” Parker explained. “I’m not saying that’s the specific one, but usually when big runs happen, it’s because of that.”

“So from a technique perspective, we have to continue to improve that, add layers to our run defense. Just because you pack the box is not guaranteed you’re going to stop the run because certain runs are going to get you either going laterally or ungap you in certain ways,” Parker added. “You’ve got to have proper layers, knowing where you’re sending the ball, knowing when the ball is getting sent to you. So just continuing to work on those principles so they show up more consistently on game day.”

Parker joined Dallas in January after two seasons coaching defensive backs and the passing game for the Philadelphia Eagles, and this is his first year calling plays. A coordinator has more hands in the pot than a position coach, according to Parker.

“No. I mean, because when you’re around different DCs, you’re on the staff, especially the positions I’ve had where you have a lot of responsibility. You get exposed to what those things are. Every job is going to have its challenges,” Parker said. “Even if things were going better, it’s still going to be a level of difficulty because of the elevation of what you have to do. There are more hands in the pot, so to speak, in terms of what you have to manage and handle. But no, I wouldn’t say it’s more difficult than imagined. I would just say that we’re just continuing to work to try to get the results that we want.”

Quinnen Williams Asked Parker To ‘Keep Cutting Me Loose’

Arizona went three-and-out on the first possession of overtime. Before that drive, Quinnen Williams told Parker to keep cutting him loose, something the two had talked about all week.

“No, I wouldn’t say there’s a visual component of that. Certainly you could argue that the play shows that and some of the execution down the stretch shows that, but I wouldn’t say that it’s a visual response or anything like that. Like guys are ready to get back on the field,” Parker said. “I think that showed the first drive of overtime. We went out there and got that three-play stop. Q told me right before that drive, ‘CP, keep cutting me loose,’ because we talked about that all week, and he’s been delivering on that promise.”

“So, yeah, I think we just have to find ways to stop the tide from turning in that regard down the stretch. But we’ve shown the ability to do that. We just have to do it better and more consistently,” Parker continued. “I think that’s a main thing that’s plaguing us right now is just the consistency of performance overall, starting with me and the rest of the coaches down to the players.”

Williams has 5 of the Cowboys’ 15 sacks. Dallas is 3-5 and visits the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium, with kickoff set for noon CT on FOX.