The Dallas Cowboys opted to receive the opening kickoff against the Baltimore Ravens. Although the offense doesn’t have tremendous firepower, it’s understandable why Mike McCarthy didn’t want to put Mike Zimmer’s defense on the field first after last week.

The attack stalled before the halfway line, giving Zimmer’s group a chance to save the offense. But that didn’t happen. Lamar Jackson stormed through Dallas as many expected. The Ravens needed five plays to cover 71 yards and score the first touchdown of the game.

DeMarvion Overshown missed a tackle, resulting in a big gain in yardage, while Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence were both slow to react to QB reads.

Based on last Sunday’s performance, the outcome was predictable, and a certain former Cowboy has seen enough of Zimmer.

Bryant isn’t trying to disparage Zimmer. He’s just saying that the Cowboys don’t have the players to execute Zimmer’s scheme. Although they looked like they might pull it off in Week 1, fans panicked after more than five quarters. This performance could also be due to the fact that Deshaun Watson, who lost to the Giants (!) on Sunday, was a bad quarterback.

Bryant, one of the best wide receivers in franchise history, believes Dan Quinn is a better fit for Dallas’ personnel. Zimmer deserves a full season before people jump to conclusions, but it’s the same story as the Quinn era: The Cowboys can’t stop the run.

We all remember what a nightmare Mike Nolan’s defense was, right? Well, Cowboys fans were drawing comparisons to Nolan on social media in the first half. That’s extremely reactionary. Zimmer’s defense has started slow in the past. His scheme and style require an adjustment period.

There is still a lot of playing time left. But if the defense fails again at home (which is what they are tending to do), you can hardly give Zimmer any more confidence.

While Bryant has been one of Zimmer’s biggest critics, the front office hasn’t set up the defensive coordinator for success. The team’s nose tackle rotation may be the worst in the NFL, and he’s starting a cornerback who missed a tackle on day three that led to a 70-yard catch-and-run.

This is certainly not his fault and he can’t tackle for the players. Maybe Bryant is on to something.

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