It's working because defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli is living up to his billing as the best coach/motivator in the league.
He is likened by the Cowboys defenders to Master Splinter, the rat sensei of the
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. They fear him. They follow him. They want to run through a wall for him.
But most important, they listen to him. It has paid off for a Cowboys defense that's short on proven playmakers but has succeeded because it plays fundamentally sound football and swarms to the ball.
"He’s indispensable," Jones said of Marinelli. "His spirit, the way he expresses himself, what he asks of his defensive players, has impacted the entire team. It sounds corny almost, when you see him talk about, 'I just want some guys, he may not be the biggest, I just want some guys who will run and every day at practice give it to me'. Well, yeah, but don’t we need somebody who is bigger and faster? Well, Marinelli is showing us just give me somebody who will go out there and give me 20 plays when we got them and we’ll take care of business."
Cornerback Brandon Carr said Marinelli acts like a maniac at times in how he addresses the players, but he has brought a level of accountability not seen before in the Cowboys locker room.
It’s not just one person trying to fill the leadership void left by Ware, Hatcher and Lee but all 22 defenders who are active on game day.
"It's 22 men buying in to a system," Carr said. "We have a heck of defensive coordinator that puts in the right position to make plays. And guys just showing max effort.
Accountability is there. It hasn't been in there in the past. It's showing up all across the board, just every phase of the game right now it's showing up."