The Dallas Cowboys defense held a players-only meeting, which has got many talking. Former Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said that a meeting like that could only mean one thing, presumably for a head coach: “You’re dead.”

Former wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson agrees.

“You’re so dead,” Johnson told NFL insider Jordan Schultz. “Mike Tomlin is correct. You’re done. This is a Hall of Fame coach telling you, this ain’t me. It came from a Hall of Fame coach.”

The Cowboys held the meeting on Monday, with star linebacker DeMarvion Overshown saying that the players “went by bullet point” to discuss the team’s standards and whether they were meeting them. Pro Bowler pass rusher Rashan Gary said that the meeting was to align with everybody and be on the “same page and going throughout the week, making sure we create the right habits.”

The Cowboys’ much-hyped defense has clearly been underperforming. And for them to call the players-only meeting is perhaps a positive sign that Dallas wants to get back on track. But Mike Tomlin doesn’t mind that the meeting took place. He is concerned that head coach Brian Schottenheimer knows about it.

“If it did occur, I’d like to not hear about it,” Tomlin said. “The fact that you hear about it is what makes it B.S.”

Per ESPN, the Cowboys have allowed the seventh-most points in the league (136) so far, along with allowing 395.4 yards (second-most) per game. The defense has also tallied only five sacks so far. Five.

And, Dallas has yet to record an interception in the league. No wonder the meeting was called.

The Cowboys still have a long way to go in the season, and this same unit finished as the worst in the league last year. Entering Week 6, they are already thereabouts. Questions are being raised about whether defensive coordinator Christian Parker is really working out for the Cowboys, who fired Matt Eberflus after last year’s disaster.

For what it’s worth, Schottenheimer is all about good team camaraderie.

“It was very open and honest. And the pride of that unit is strong,” the head coach said of the meeting. “There’s some really, really prideful men in that room and we’re going to get it fixed. I have no question about that, but it doesn’t bother me at all. It means everyone’s rowing in the same direction, trying to get this thing fixed.”

Dallas has made one interesting reinforcement in the staff to help the defense. They have hired longtime defensive coach Mike Pettine as an assistant.

Pettine was the one who hired Christian Parker to be the defensive quality control coach with the Green Bay Packers while the former was the defensive coordinator.

He is also one of Schottenheimer’s dearest friends and returned from retirement to help the Cowboys. Pettine and Schottenheimer worked together as defensive and offensive coordinators, respectively, with the New York Jets from 2009 to 2011.

“When somebody you care about reaches out, I just felt I needed to answer the call,” Pettine said of Schottenheimer. “I have a lot of respect for him and everything that he’s done. That’s why it was easy to not just answer CP’s call, but his.”

The Cowboys would not have been in this position had the defense played better. They were humbled by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who recorded their first win of the season by defeating Dallas. The Bucs’ Bucky Irving torched the Cowboys’ defense with 165 rushing yards and one touchdown. Tampa Bay racked up 241 rushing yards in total.

Against the New York Giants, the Cowboys gave up 394 total yards. This was a red flag from the get-go.

Dallas are 2-3 in the league and will next face the Packers on Sunday, who possess a 3-2 record.

The post “You’re So Dead”: Ex-Cowboys WR Sends Strong Message to Brian Schottenheimer Following Mike Tomlin’s Warning appeared first on EssentiallySports. Add EssentiallySports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.