Jerry Jones wouldn’t want anyone but Monte Kiffin to fix defense
By Mike Dyce
The Dallas Cowboys let defensive coordinator Rob Ryan go in the offseason, making him the scapegoat for the underachieving defense. They brought in Monte Kiffin and the defense is ravaged with injuries again and not performing again.
Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas that he still thinks Kiffin can fix this defense. He reaffirmed his belief in the defensive coaching staff.
“To fix what we’re doing, there’s nobody I’d rather have than him and Rod Marinelli, and where we are today to get this fixed over the next week, two weeks, three weeks,” Jones said. “There’s nobody I’d rather have than him to fix it. First of all, he knows what we’re doing better than anyone, and if there are adjustments to be made, he’s the right man for the job right now.”
Jones said Kiffin is accepting the responsibility and not blaming injuries.
“He takes it personally. It’s hard on him. It’s very hard on him. He’s been doing it a long time at his age and he’s had a lot of different experiences,” Jones said. “He doesn’t in any way reject the responsibility. As a matter of fact, he invites it on himself.”
The situation forced the Cowboys into a corner where there is no margin for error and they need to win out to have a shot at the NFC East title and a playoff spot.
“That’s hard to take, and particularly hard to take under the circumstances. We start the weekend off thinking about really having a good situation as far as our next three ballgames are concerned, and now our backs are against the wall and we have a real challenge on Sunday,” Jones said.