Changes in staff for Cowboys
By STEPHEN HAWKINS
Associated Press

IRVING — Bruce Coslet will change more than just the offensive scheme of the Dallas Cowboys.

Coslet was hired Wednesday as offensive coordinator for the Cowboys. He was given unusual freedom by owner Jerry Jones to make any staff changes necessary to make his job easier.

“He’ll certainly be bringing people he’ll be comfortable with, people that will make his job more productive,” Jones said. “He’s certainly having all of the input that he wants to have.”

Running backs coach Clarence Shelmon and offensive line coach Hudson Houck, who just completed his 18th NFL season, won’t be back next season. Jones also indicated other staff changes were likely, but that quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson — given a three-year contract earlier this month — will remain.

Coslet, a former Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets head coach, brings to Dallas plenty of NFL play-calling experience and a vast knowledge of the West Coast offense.
His hiring ended a three-week search to replace Jack Reilly, who was reassigned Jan. 8, two days after Dallas finished 5-11 for the second straight season and ranked 29th in the NFL in total offense.

Coslet was a student of former San Francisco 49ers coach Bill Walsh, the architect of the short-drop, quick-throwing system used by many of the NFL’s most prolific offenses.

Coslet played for the Bengals in the 1970s when Walsh was offensive coordinator and began his coaching career on Walsh’s 49ers staff in 1980.

But Coslet couldn’t put a label on what he plans to do.

“We’ll do some West Coast, some vertical passing, some old San Diego Chargers downfield stuff,” he said. “It’s really hard to pin one little name on it. I would like to hope it’s the offense that gets us into the end zone the most.”

What it won’t be is the timing-based offense the Cowboys used for much of the past decade, including their three Super Bowl seasons in the 1990s.

Coslet was just 47-78 in nine seasons as coach of the Jets (1990-93) and Cincinnati (1996-2000), and has been out of football since resigning after the Bengals lost their first three games in 2000.

But Coslet was successful as an offensive coordinator for the Bengals, who had the NFL’s top-rated offense in 1986 and 1988 and led the league in rushing in 1988 and 1989.

“We wanted somebody that has exhibited a creative mind, who could create a scheme around his personnel,” Jones said.

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