WED 14 OCT   17:27:27
SEARCH CONTACT
LATEST :
NETFLIX TO CUT ABOUT 1,000 JOBS IN LARGEST LAYOFFS SINCE 2022  ///  ELEPHANT CARRYING DEAD CALF IMAGE WINS WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER PRIZE  ///  TOMLIN CRITICISES COWBOYS PLAYERS-ONLY DEFENSIVE MEETING  ///  UN URGES ISRAEL TO PROTECT PALESTINIAN OLIVE FARMERS FROM SETTLER VIOLENCE  ///  CHANCELLOR FACES PRESSURE TO CUT FUEL DUTY AS OIL PRICES RISENETFLIX TO CUT ABOUT 1,000 JOBS IN LARGEST LAYOFFS SINCE 2022  ///  ELEPHANT CARRYING DEAD CALF IMAGE WINS WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER PRIZE  ///  TOMLIN CRITICISES COWBOYS PLAYERS-ONLY DEFENSIVE MEETING  ///  UN URGES ISRAEL TO PROTECT PALESTINIAN OLIVE FARMERS FROM SETTLER VIOLENCE  ///  CHANCELLOR FACES PRESSURE TO CUT FUEL DUTY AS OIL PRICES RISE

TOMLIN CRITICISES COWBOYS PLAYERS-ONLY DEFENSIVE MEETING

WED 14 OCT 2026 FOOTBALL

Mike Tomlin, speaking on the New Heights podcast with Jason and Travis Kelce on 14 October 2026, criticised the Dallas Cowboys for holding a players-only defensive meeting after the team fell to 2-3 in Week 5. Tomlin said that if such a meeting needed to happen, it should not become public knowledge, adding that the fact it was disclosed was what made it questionable. Jason Kelce agreed, saying players-only meetings are typically called as a last resort when nothing else has worked. The Cowboys held the meeting on the morning of 12 October at The Star in Frisco, where linebacker DeMarvion Overshown told reporters, according to The Athletic, that players examined whether they were meeting the standards they had set for themselves. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer said the defensive performance reflected "growing pains" following a 24-16 home defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on 8 October, a team that had been 0-4 before that game.

This is the second time in three weeks that Tomlin has criticised the Cowboys' defence. After Dallas's Week 3 match against the Baltimore Ravens on 27 September, Tomlin said on Sunday Night Football that the defence had been "somewhat negligent" and expressed surprise that the team played man coverage against Ravens receiver Zay Flowers rather than umbrella coverage. The Cowboys currently rank 31st in the NFL for total defence, allowing 395.4 yards per game, and last for rushing defence, allowing 168.4 yards per game, according to figures cited in coverage of the team.

On 12 October, Schottenheimer announced that Dallas had hired Mike Pettine, a former Cleveland Browns head coach, out of retirement as a senior defensive assistant. Pettine's role is to support first-year defensive coordinator Christian Parker. NBC Sports analysts Chris Simms and Mike Florio also discussed the players-only meeting, with Simms saying such meetings rarely change outcomes based on his own experience. No further personnel changes have been confirmed beyond Pettine's appointment.

WATCHALONGS
LIVE WATCH PARTIES ON YOUTUBE, X AND TWITCH
WATCH NOW >>
WEATHERP200
UK FORECASTS UK MAX TEMPS RAIN AND WIND DAILY UPDATES
TO WEATHER >>
← BACK