Mike Zimmer was on the defensive during his Dallas arrival.
The former Vikings coach, who has not been on the NFL sidelines since 2021, was introduced as the Cowboys’ new defensive coordinator Wednesday.
“There’s a reputation out there that I’m a jerk or something like that,” Zimmer said. “It is what it is, I guess. But you know, since it was announced I was going to be here, I’ve heard from so many players that played for me.
“Players here, not just defensive backs, the linebackers and defensive linemen have texted me and said how happy they were for me. I think if I was such a jerk I wouldn’t be hearing from those guys.”
Zimmer disagreed with the “jerk” comment but did admit he pushed his players hard.
But he used Xavier Rhodes, a three-time Pro Bowler who he coached in Minnesota for six seasons, as an example of the mutual respect forged between coach and player.
“Xavier Rhodes called me probably five months ago,” he said. “I was on his rear end every day about being disciplined, getting the right footwork, all this stuff. He became a terrific player, and he called me and he just said, ‘Coach, I know how hard you were on me, but I appreciate what you’ve done for me and the family’ and things like that.
“You hear that. I was probably too hard on a lot of players, but I’ve heard it several times. It makes you feel good that they understand that you’re just trying to help them. You’re not just out to be a mean guy or something like that.”
Not all shared the same opinion as Rhodes, such as former Vikings safety Harrison Smith, who said Zimmer was “an acquired taste” to be under from 2014-21.
Additionally, former Cowboys safety Darren Woodson, who played for Zimmer as he moved up the defensive ranks in Dallas from 1994-2003, claimed that it takes time to adjust to Zimmer’s edge that he brings to an organization.
“The ones I have been around, the young guys, the ones that want to be great, they want to be coached,” Zimmer said. “They want to study. They want to understand how they can get better. Most all the great players, they want to know, ‘How can you make me better?’”
Zimmer is replacing Dan Quinn, who left to take the head coach position for the Commanders, and he will be the first new face to lead the defense in four seasons.
He previously served as the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator for six seasons from 2000-06 before moving on to Atlanta for a season, Cincinnati for six years and eventually taking the helm in Minnesota.