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The Dallas Cowboys have a new defensive mind, and quite a good number of fans are mostly happy.
On Thursday, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that owner/general manager Jerry Jones had hired Mike Zimmer as the team's new defensive coordinator, succeeding now-Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn.
The former Minnesota Vikings coach had spent 2023 on the sidelines after a brief stint as a secondary analyst/consultant at Jackson State University under then-coach (and former mentee) Deion Sanders.
The hiring came at the expense of former New York Jets and Buffalo Bills coach Rex Ryan, who had also been touted as a candidate. There was much rejoicing on X, with one tweeting:
Trending
"I take back everything I said. Superbowl here we come."
Here are some of the top reactions on X:
Mike Zimmer's history with the Cowboys, explained
This will be Mike Zimmer's second stint with the Dallas Cowboys. Previously, he was the defensive coordinator of the Washington State Cougars.
He first arrived in 1994 as a defensive assistant under the newly appointed Barry Switzer. The next year, he was promoted to secondary coach, coinciding with Deion Sanders' arrival from the San Francisco 49ers.
Under Zimmer, "Prime Time" partnered with veteran Darren Woodson to earn the Cowboys their third Super Bowl title at XXX against the Pittsburgh Steelers. They would remain together until the end of the 1999-00 season.
In 2000, Zimmer was promoted to defensive coordinator. He would last seven seasons before leaving to take the same position with the Atlanta Falcons, then called the Cincinnati Bengals.
Mike Zimmer had predicted Cowboys return in previous interview
The best part of Mike Zimmer's Dallas homecoming is that for quite some time, he had been anticipating this.
Speaking late last year to Tom Pelissero, he said that coaching was in his blood and is something he cannot abandon just yet:
"My dad was a high school coach for a long, long time. I love being around the players. I love the challenge of trying to make an organization better. The biggest thing is I love to teach, I love to coach."
A few weeks later, he would coach at the Polynesian Bowl, his first game on the sidelines since 2021. His Team Makai (Ocean) came back from 17-0 down to beat his former superior Marvin Lewis' Team Mauka (Mountain) 28-17.
