Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones is a fan of Brian Schottenheimer. When the Cowboys officially hired Schottenheimer to be their next head coach, it raised some eyebrows. However, Jones remains confident in what his first-year head coach can do.
He explained more to The Athletic’s NFL insider Dianna Russini at the NFL Honors.
“I looked at 25 years of being on many staffs in the NFL,” Jones said. “I looked at sitting around that dinner table with his daddy, Marty Schottenheimer, and I know what osmosis does, and it doesn’t fall far from the tree. What an opportunity to get a man, a coach coming out of the chute for his first time with all the fire that goes with that.
“Yet at the same time, he has his experience plus his greatest rooting section is our players, people like Dak Prescott. So when you add all of that up, this was risky because it’s a first-time coach. But we got to take risks, so I’m pleased with what we can do with him.”
Jerry Jones believes the Cowboys will win with Brian Schottenheimer
Although the team has a new head coach, Schottenheimer is a familiar face. He’s been the Cowboys offensive coordinator for the past two seasons. When he first arrived in Dallas, he unlocked the offensive potential. They averaged the most points per game in the league (29.9) and his stars flourished.
Both Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb had career years. Despite not getting over the hump in the Wild Card round, there was a ton of optimism about the next season. However, that didn’t go their way either. With Dallas losing Tony Pollard, among others in free agency, the new-look team didn’t produce.
Furthermore, Prescott injured his hamstring which cost him the remainder of the regular season. They took a major step back in points per game (20.6), as well as overall offensive efficiency. Either way, they could’ve waited and looked at other head coaching options.
Sometimes though, having an in-house hire is one that usually pans out well. Plus, Schottenheimer has had his father, Marty, coach in the NFL for years. Still, Prescott was a fan of the Schottenheimer hire. Although it caused some controversy around the league, Jones firmly believes in the newest head coach for the franchise.
At the end of the day, the Cowboys owner continues to have his influence on the franchise, for better or for worse. If this move works out, he’ll look like a genius. If not, the criticism will come flying in.
