NFL

Cowboys DC Marinelli on defensive collapse: 'It's on me'

Published September 29, 2015

Aug 29, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli prior to the game against the Minnesota Vikings at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

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Aug 29, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli prior to the game against the Minnesota Vikings at AT&T; Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

The Dallas Cowboys allowed the Atlanta Falcons to score 39 points in Week 3, including 22 that came in the second half, after having allowed just 36 points through the first two weeks. Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli considered the performance unacceptable, and took the blame for what went down last Sunday.

"It's on me," Marinelli said, per Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News. "I thought we were ready. We weren't. When you don't have any takeaways, you can't stop the run, we didn't get a rush...that comes back to coaching. We just didn't execute."

With offensive staples Tony Romo and Dez Bryant out for another several weeks, the Cowboys need the defense to lead the way. The return of Greg Hardy at defensive end should help boost the pass rush and create takeaways, and he has also been a stout run defender his entire career. Hardy will return in Week 5, but for now, the Cowboys will need to rely on a better effort from everyone they have available.