The coaching was bad enough in 2019. We don't need false narratives to pile on and blame them for things that were not really problems.
The George Iloka comments have caused a comical narrative.
People that are quoting him don't appear to have listened to his entire interview.
Iloka said that Kris Richard told him not to disguise coverage.
- Some pseudo media think that Iloka said KR told him to stay deep regardless.
- Iloka actually ended up saying that KR wanted to show an 8 man box and tempt teams to pass.
- He said that Zimmer/Edwards wanted to show 7 in the box to tempt teams to run.
Iloka also said that Awuzie indicated he always played the same technique.
- The All-22 is available to everyone for a low cost. Awuzie didn't always play the same technique.
Iloka never made the team and was 3rd string in the preseason.
- He is probably not fond of KR regardless of what actually happened.
The coaching was beyond terrible in 2019, but not for the reasons that people are now claiming.
The #1 problem with the defense was that Marinelli refused to change the DL scheme.
- The DL scheme was outdated and exposed by the Rams in the playoff game.
- In 2019 KR was in control of the back 7 and Marinelli still in control of the DL.
- KR tried to adapt the back 7 to stop the bleeding in run defense that was caused by the DL scheme.
- KR's changed ended up making it worse but he was in a no win situation.
- When offenses can run the ball with 3 OL blocking 4 DL and the other 2 OL free to block LBs, it's a fail for defense.
KR took all the help defenders from Awuzie and moved them inside and up to defend the run.
- Offenses would put 1 WR on Awuzies side.
- The Cowboys FS would align towards the side with 2 WRs.
- That meant Awuzie had no deep help on most plays.
- In Seattle with the Legion of Boom scheme, Richard Sherman often had help both inside deep and inside short.
- In 2019 KR had the inside short coverage help (SS and LBs) up near the DL to focus on the run.
- Despite Awuzie having no help deep or short on many plays, they also required him to be strong run defender on outside runs to his side.
- Awuzie was basically playing the Deion coverage style (no help) but even Deion didn't have the same run defense duties as Awuzie.
- It was indeed moronic to put Awuzie into that situation, but the problem was not because of technique or lack of disguising coverage.
In 2018 which was KR's first season with the Cowboys, the improvement in coaching of the secondary was obvious.
- It was obvious in reviewing game footage.
- It was also supported by player comments.
- CB Brown said the previous DB coaches never told him what technique to play and didn't even coach him on the differences in technique vs various situations. He said he learned more in a few months with KR than all years previously.
