The new Dallas Cowboys head coach is none other than Brian Schottenheimer, their old OC. To commemorate the new head coach, the Cowboys held a press conference on Monday, January 27, 2025. In that conference, Schottenheimer unveiled quite a few of his plans and goals for the future of the Dallas Cowboys.
A New Future for the Dallas Cowboys Under Brian Schottenheimer
What the New Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Says About Offense
Over the past few years, Mike McCarthy called plays while Schottenheimer sat to the side and gave input. Although the offense appeared promising in 2023, this past season in 2024 showed many more difficult moments for the team. Often, red zone conversions lacked. Once Dak Prescott got injured, even more holes in the scheme appeared. However, Prescott’s injury did open up the run game for Rico Dowdle to have an exceptional season.
Schottenheimer mentioned in the press conference some of his goals for the run game: “We’re going to do a great job of marrying our runs and our passes, make those look the same. I’m proud to say that two different times in my career as a coordinator, we led the league in rushing.” He hopes to replicate that in Dallas now as head coach and play caller. This should be exciting, especially with a huge opportunity for the Cowboys to pick up Ashton Jeanty in the draft. Building on what already presented some success will impact the team’s future.
Schottenheimer Brings 20+ Years of Coaching Experience
The preference is to hire someone with success. At least, it should be. But the Dallas Cowboys organization prefers to take a chance on untested talent when it comes to Schottenheimer. However, Schottenheimer has been in the league for years. First, Schottenheimer worked underneath his dad before becoming a coordinator. After finding some success as a coordinator, he was even considered for head coaching spots during his time with the New York Jets.
His experience with various organizations was a huge selling point for the Jones family. What they saw was a guy who has worked in multiple schemes, who had talented players and had injuries, and still managed to stick around. More than that, there’s familiarity with Schottenheimer. With a new defensive coordinator, the Cowboys defense will need to learn an entirely new scheme again. It took a while for the defense to learn the previous scheme with Mike Zimmer. Keeping consistency with the offense at least allows the team some wiggle room for adjustments. This could be a positive for the players and the organization.
A Dallas Cowboys Head Coach with a Desire for Culture
More than the Cowboys needed an immaculate play caller, they needed someone who would drag the team out of the mud mentally. The team has the ability to endure tough times. But they don’t have the heart. There’s a lack of real push on the field. But this is a problem Schottenheimer appears to be aware of. When asked about how he wants to be remembered, Schottenheimer had this to say:
“Number one, as a champion. Number two is someone that created one of the greatest cultures professional sports has ever seen.”
It’s the culture of a winning organization that leads some teams to championships while others stay at the bottom of the race. Tons of teams have great play callers. Several possess tons of talent. But not all have a coach who believes in the power of culture. The Dallas Cowboys had a history of culture in the past, during their Super Bowl eras. Brian Schottenheimer hopes to bring that past forward, into the future. After so much disappointment, that’s all anyone can ask for.
Main Image: Tim Heitman – USA Today Sports
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