Seventy-two-year-olld Monte Kiffin wants you to get one thing straight.

His age isn’t going to be an issue as he takes over controls of the Dallas Cowboys defense. He says there will not be any problems getting his messages across to some players that will be nearly 50 years his junior.

“I’m 72 going on 52,” Kiffin said, according to the Dallas Morning News. “There are some people 72 going on 82. Don’t worry about me communicating, OK?”

According to the report, Kiffin was full of energy in a brief session with reporters. He hasn’t been in the NFL since 2008 when he finished a 13-year run as defensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Now, Kiffin will be charged with converting the Cowboys from a 3-4 scheme to a 4-3 defense. He has some talented linemen and linebackers in place to make the switch.

“We are not the 1996 Buccaneers by any sense,” Kiffin said. “We like what we see. We had a big evaluation this past couple of days with Mr. (Jerry) Jones and coach (Jason) Garrett and Stephen [Jones] and the whole pro personnel department, college scouts and everything else. We talked all about our personnel and looked at it and evaluated it, have gone through every single player. We have a good nucleus here for a 4-3 defense, but we still need to get better, no doubt about it.”

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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune