Zimmer not getting his due

by Jean-Jacques Taylor

Mike Zimmer is the longest-tenured coach on the Cowboys' staff, having spent 12 seasons cashing paychecks from owner Jerry Jones.

In the process, he has worked his way up from defensive assistant to coordinator and earned numerous accolades from Jones. He has implemented coach Bill Parcells' favored 3-4 scheme and been complimented for his work ethic.

So why hasn't Jones extended his contract?

That's right, Zimmer is in the final year of a three-year deal that pays him more than $1 million per season.

Now, Jones and Parcells, and even Zimmer, will probably downplay the fact. They'll talk about how coaches are usually on yearly contracts anyway since that normally doesn't keep teams from firing them.

Or maybe they'll say they just haven't gotten around to addressing it. Or they'll just say the Cowboys never discuss the contracts of their assistant coaches.

Frankly, it doesn't matter what they say. Their actions speak loudly. They've made their defensive coordinator a lame duck.

This after his unit finished in the top 10 and should improve now that the Cowboys are in Year 2 of the 3-4 defense. This after he spent last year coaching a scheme (3-4) and a position (outside linebackers) that he had never done before.

That's not much of a thank you.

So maybe there's some other reason the Cowboys are letting Zimmer enter the final year of his contract. Maybe Dallas thinks it can simply find a better coordinator for the 3-4 defense. After all, Zimmer isn't a 3-4 guy.

His scheme of choice is the 4-3. That's what he's coached most of his life and that's where he feels most comfortable.

It would be nice for the Cowboys to say something. Their silence is deafening.