Blogging The Boys
Brian Schottenheimer has put together quite the staff so far.
The Dallas Cowboys are getting closer to finalizing their coaching staff in Year 1 under new head coach Brian Schottenheimer, and it’s shaping up to be a great group of coaches. Schottenheimer may have added his best one yet, though, agreeing on Monday to bring in Ken Dorsey in an analyst role.
The Cowboys’ interest in Dorsey extends a few weeks back, as he had originally been listed as a potential candidate for offensive coordinator, though no interview ever actually took place. Now, Dorsey comes on in a role that sounds similar to Schottenheimer’s initial role with the Cowboys.
Dorsey has had a winding career trajectory up to this point. He was a star quarterback for the Miami Hurricanes at the turn of the century, winning a national championship and twice being a Heisman finalist. He had a brief NFL career, mostly playing as a backup for the 49ers and Browns.
Not long after retiring, Dorsey got started as a pro scout for the Panthers in 2011. Two years later, he moved to quarterbacks coach, and was a key part of Cam Newton’s 2015 MVP season that saw the Panthers reach the Super Bowl. Dorsey was let go following the 2017 season, a corresponding move to the firing of Carolina’s offensive coordinator and signaling a distinct change in offensive philosophy under head coach Ron Rivera.
Dorsey spent the 2018 season assisting with the Florida International University athletics department, but left after one year to coach Josh Allen with the Bills. Allen was coming off his rookie season and had not looked great: Allen’s 52.8% completion rate was worst among starters and his 3.8% interception rate was second highest among starters.
Dorsey’s first two years in Buffalo saw rapid improvements from Allen, as he went from being talked about as a bust to being heralded as the top quarterback from his draft class. The Bills took note, and added pass game coordinator duties to Dorsey’s title, grooming him to succeed Brian Daboll whenever their offensive coordinator eventually left for a head coaching job.
That happened one year later, and Dorsey was promptly promoted to offensive coordinator. He kept things humming right along, as the Bills finished 2022 second in both EPA/play and offensive success rate, behind only the Chiefs. The next year brought adversity, though, as Allen became a turnover machine. This ultimately led to Dorsey being fired midway through the year, and Allen’s play stabilized once Joe Brady took over the reins from Dorsey.
This led to a narrative that Dorsey was some awful coach and that Brady was a massive upgrade. While there’s no doubting Brady’s offensive prowess, this narrative doesn’t really hold up to the actual results. Compare the 2023 Bills offense from when Dorsey called plays to when Brady called plays:
In all three categories, the Bills offense actually got worse under Brady, not better. Of course, Buffalo was still a top five offense with the numbers...
