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FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Wednesday that the defense’s recent pass rush has come from a mix of senior defensive assistant Mike Pettine’s input, more blitzes, and individual wins from defensive tackles Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark.
Dallas held the Indianapolis Colts to 271 total yards and 3-of-13 on third down in Sunday’s 27-23 win at Lucas Oil Stadium. Rookie safety Caleb Downs came off the edge untouched for a sack, his second of the season, and Williams had three tackles for loss.
Schottenheimer met with reporters before practice Wednesday at The Star.
“Quite honestly, it’s, uh, it’s all the above,” Schottenheimer said. “I think Pet’s voice and some of the things he’s been around has been great, but I also see some guys with some incredible individual efforts.”
“I talked a lot about Quinnen and Kenny and their ability to win the interior part of the pocket, but I do think that you’ve seen more blitzes and things like that coming from our defensive unit,” Schottenheimer continued. “And those are things that certainly Pet and CP have been talking about from the time that Pet’s arrived.”
Mike Pettine Joined The Staff In October
Dallas hired Pettine as a senior defensive assistant on Oct. 12, bringing him out of retirement after the defense struggled through the first five games. Pettine was the Cleveland Browns’ head coach in 2014 and 2015 and later spent three seasons as the Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator, two of them alongside current Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker.
Parker is in his first season as Dallas’ defensive coordinator and play caller. The Cowboys also added edge rusher Rashan Gary from Green Bay in a March trade.
Brian Schottenheimer On Third Down And The Two-Minute Drill
Schottenheimer went through the defense’s progress since the start of the season in a later answer at the same availability.
“I think you got to start with the pass rush,” Schottenheimer explained. “I think again, not just the pressure packages, but the way we’ve rushed the passer. We’re winning some one-on-ones. Rashan Gary, the two-minute at the end of the first half, I thought was outstanding. Anytime you get free runners in this league, it’s real. That’s a scheme thing. ”
“And then third down, third down is the area that they were outstanding,” Schottenheimer continued. “I think last game they were third-and-4 or more, they were 0-for-8. And anytime you can do that, that’s how you are able to control the game like we were from a time of possession standpoint. So those two areas really stick out at me.”
“And then again, I think we’ve cut down on some of the mental errors over the last eight quarters,” Schottenheimer added. “Certainly, seven of the last eight quarters, and I think those three areas are very noticeable.”
The next test is Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers. Later in the same availability, Schottenheimer said Purdy gets the ball out as quickly as any quarterback in the league.
The Cowboys (4-5) host the 49ers (7-1) on Sunday at AT&T Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3:25 p.m. CT on Fox.
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