Cowboys: How Kris Richard will impact the defense

Kris Richard, the assumed heir apparent at defensive coordinator, is going to make an instant impact with the Dallas Cowboys this season.

The Dallas Cowboys didn’t wait long to find their next big defensive coach. Less than a week after they find out their prized assistant coach, Matt Eberflus, will be leaving for the sunny beaches of Indianapolis, Dallas locked down one of the hottest young coaches on the planet.

Kris Richard may not be the household name many in Cowboys Nation were hoping for, but he’s a proven talent and a perfect fit for the Dallas Cowboys organization. Within hours of being let go in Seattle, the Cowboys pounced. Signing Richards as the defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator. With those titles likely comes the designation of “heir apparent” to current defensive coordinator, Rod Marinelli.

Recent unconfirmed buzz has said, Rod Marinelli, 68, is considering retirement. Whether it happens this offseason or next, remains to be seen. But the thinking is, retirement is imminent. The now-departed linebackers coach, Matt Eberflus, was expected to be the man to replace him. But Eberflus threw a wrench in the Cowboys’ plans by leaving to be the defensive coordinator in Indianapolis.

With Marinelli’s clock ticking and the DC job one day all but guaranteed, Richard is going to carry considerably more weight than your average position coach.

The departure left the Cowboys searching for a replacement. Preferably one who’s a budding young star and could both fit the Dallas scheme and be willing to adapt to Mainelli’s career plans. Kris Richard appears to fit both criteria.

Richard’s defense

Coming from Seattle, Kris Richard ran the famed “Legion of Boom”. Decimated by injuries this season, the Legion packed less “boom” than normal, likely leading to his departure.

But what many people fail to realize is Rod Marinelli’s defense is modeled after that famous “Legion” from the Pacific Northwest.

When Rod Marinelli first came on, he contacted his friend and colleague, Pete Carroll, to discuss the single high safety look they so often employed. In Dallas, Marinelli worked to find personnel to fit said scheme. And with the revamped secondary and competent front-four pass rush on hand, Marinelli finally has the personnel he’s been looking for.

Because of this, Kris Richard is walking into a perfect situation here in Dallas. With Marinelli’s clock ticking and the DC job one day all but guaranteed, Richard is going to carry considerably more weight than your average position coach.

Primarily in charge of the secondary, Richard could do a number of things to shake up the defensive backs. As discussed yesterday, a position change for Byron Jones seems highly likely. As a former NFL defensive back and secondary specialist himself, he’s going to continue the Cowboys down the path they’ve been going, only applying his methods and development along the way

Blitzing

Like Marinelli, Richard rarely blitzes. While this fact may upset some, it’s actually good news if you take a moment to appreciate how wildly unsuccessful blitzing has been. According to Pro Football Focus, both the Seahawks and the Cowboys allowed some of the highest passer ratings in the NFL when blitzing. So, in a nutshell, this scheme got torched when they decided to send extra pass rushers.

Richard, like Marinelli, (and like Pete Carroll) likes to rely on the front four to apply pressure. A reality that finally isn’t so scary now that the Cowboys have premium pass-rushing talent in DeMarcus Lawrence and David Irving.

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Occasionally they will send an extra linebacker or defensive back, but last season Richard only blitzed 22 percent of the time (5^th least in the NFL) so it stands to reason that isn’t going to change much whether Marinelli is here or not.

But don’t let the lack of blitzing lead you to believe Kris Richard doesn’t run an aggressive defense. His secondary in particular is highly aggressive, playing truck-loads of man press defense in an age where man press often leads to contact penalties downfield. Only Cincinnati had more pass interference penalties than Seattle’s 13 last season.

But relax. Dallas finished with 12 pass interference penalties and were penalized more total yards than Kris Richard’s Seahawks. It’s a small price to pay when you play an aggressive brand of defense like this. Richard trusts his secondary and makes opponents patiently attack on intermediate routes. By disguising coverage in the middle of the field, he’s betting opponents will make a mistake at some point during a long drive.

Players will be developed better and trusted more with Kris Richard running the secondary. Outside corners will play on islands and all players (including linebackers) will be tasked with making plays against the pass.

Since the single high safety coverage scheme is essentially a Cover 3 (with outside corners playing bump and chance to protect their respective third of the field), the defense is well suited to play against 11 personnel groups which feature slot receivers.

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The addition of Kris Richard to the Dallas Cowboys defense will be a smooth transition, but that doesn’t mean it will be without change. Richard will presumably have a bigger say in big-picture decisions since he’ll likely be the man in charge next year.

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