After firing Rob Ryan on Tuesday, the Dallas Cowboys begin their search for a new defensive coordinator. If reports are correct, a change in philosophy could point them toward the likes of Lovie Smith, Monte Kiffin or Dave Wannstedt.
Cowboys coaching search: Lovie Smith, Monte Kiffin among DC names
After firing Rob Ryan on Tuesday, the Dallas Cowboys might be switching to a 4-3 defense, and candidates such as Lovie Smith and Monte Kiffin could fit that defensive bill.
Jonathan Daniel
In a report from Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com on Tuesday, Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett alluded toward the need for change in defensive schemes as the primary factor in releasing Ryan. Dallas has played a base 3-4 defense since 2005, according to the article.
Smith, after being fired by the Chicago Bears after the 2012 season, has also been linked as a potential candidate for the head coaching vacancy with the Philadelphia Eagles, but his experience in guiding successful defenses has been proven for years with the Bears.
Elsewhere, Kiffin left his post with the USC Trojans and his son, Lane, in a reported effort to get back into the NFL game. He was the brains behind the stout defenses with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the late 1990s and early 2000s as well as the popular Tampa-2 coverage scheme.
Wannstedt previously coached in Dallas during the Jimmy Johnson era and most recently served as defensive coordinator with the Buffalo Bills last season, before getting fired on Dec. 31.
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