Big Country
01-31-2005, 02:13 PM
Cowboys Let Go Former Player, Defensive Ends Coach
Nick Eatman
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
Jan. 28, 2005, 6:27 p.m. (CST)
IRVING, Texas - A day after hiring one defensive coach, the Cowboys let go of another, firing longtime player and assistant coach Jim Jeffcoat.
A former first-round draft pick of the Cowboys in 1983, Jeffcoat spent the last five seasons coaching the defensive ends, and the previous two as the team's assistant defensive line coach.
"It's part of the business," Jeffcoat told The Dallas Morning News. "I appreciate Jerry Jones and the entire Jones family for everything they have done for my family. I am looking at my options. I'm not the first good football coach to be fired. You know that's a possibility when you get in this business. Good coaches get fired every day."
Jeffcoat, who had another year remaining on his contract, becomes the third coach from last year's staff not to be retained, joining George Warhop (offensive line) and Steve Hoffman (kicking coach), whose contracts had both expired.
The Cowboys hired former Syracuse head coach Paul Pasqualoni Thursday as a defensive assistant, although his specific duties were not announced. However, Pasqualoni, who coached the Orange for the past 14 seasons, is not expected to take over on the defensive line. A more likely scenario would involve Kacy Rogers, who has coached the defensive tackles the last two years, to possibly to take over the entire defensive line next season.
Jeffcoat's dismissal ends a run of 19 years as either a player or coach with the Cowboys. Jeffcoat was one of the team's most productive defensive ends for 12 years from 1983-94, registering 94.5 sacks with the club. But before joining the Cowboys' coaching staff, Jeffcoat spent three seasons with the Buffalo Bills, wrapping up a successful 15-year playing career.
He returned to Dallas in 1998 as the assistant line coach to Jim Bates, who later became the Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator and was their interim head coach for five games this past season.
Once Bates left for Miami, Jeffcoat took over as defensive ends coach, working alongside then-defensive line coach Andre Patterson.
But the Cowboys have been inconsistent at defensive end for several years. Greg Ellis, the No. 8 overall pick in 1998, has been a solid player but has yet to make the Pro Bowl. Ebenezer Ekuban, a first-round pick (20th overall) in 1999, never lived up to expectations and was not re-signed by the club after last season. Even this season, the Cowboys signed veteran Marcellus Wiley to a four-year deal, giving the two-time Pro Bowler a $4.5 million signing bonus only to see Wiley endure one of his least productive seasons, recording just three sacks and being relegated to mostly a first- and second-down player. </FONT>
Nick Eatman
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
Jan. 28, 2005, 6:27 p.m. (CST)
IRVING, Texas - A day after hiring one defensive coach, the Cowboys let go of another, firing longtime player and assistant coach Jim Jeffcoat.
A former first-round draft pick of the Cowboys in 1983, Jeffcoat spent the last five seasons coaching the defensive ends, and the previous two as the team's assistant defensive line coach.
"It's part of the business," Jeffcoat told The Dallas Morning News. "I appreciate Jerry Jones and the entire Jones family for everything they have done for my family. I am looking at my options. I'm not the first good football coach to be fired. You know that's a possibility when you get in this business. Good coaches get fired every day."
Jeffcoat, who had another year remaining on his contract, becomes the third coach from last year's staff not to be retained, joining George Warhop (offensive line) and Steve Hoffman (kicking coach), whose contracts had both expired.
The Cowboys hired former Syracuse head coach Paul Pasqualoni Thursday as a defensive assistant, although his specific duties were not announced. However, Pasqualoni, who coached the Orange for the past 14 seasons, is not expected to take over on the defensive line. A more likely scenario would involve Kacy Rogers, who has coached the defensive tackles the last two years, to possibly to take over the entire defensive line next season.
Jeffcoat's dismissal ends a run of 19 years as either a player or coach with the Cowboys. Jeffcoat was one of the team's most productive defensive ends for 12 years from 1983-94, registering 94.5 sacks with the club. But before joining the Cowboys' coaching staff, Jeffcoat spent three seasons with the Buffalo Bills, wrapping up a successful 15-year playing career.
He returned to Dallas in 1998 as the assistant line coach to Jim Bates, who later became the Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator and was their interim head coach for five games this past season.
Once Bates left for Miami, Jeffcoat took over as defensive ends coach, working alongside then-defensive line coach Andre Patterson.
But the Cowboys have been inconsistent at defensive end for several years. Greg Ellis, the No. 8 overall pick in 1998, has been a solid player but has yet to make the Pro Bowl. Ebenezer Ekuban, a first-round pick (20th overall) in 1999, never lived up to expectations and was not re-signed by the club after last season. Even this season, the Cowboys signed veteran Marcellus Wiley to a four-year deal, giving the two-time Pro Bowler a $4.5 million signing bonus only to see Wiley endure one of his least productive seasons, recording just three sacks and being relegated to mostly a first- and second-down player. </FONT>