Brian Schottenheimer would be the ultimate test of fan optimism
There are not a ton of Cowboys fans who are excited about the idea of Brian Schottenheimer.
Brian Schottenheimer is the current frontrunner in the Cowboys’ search for a new head coach. After two years in Dallas as offensive coordinator, and another 25 years of coordinating and assistant coaching around the NFL and in college, Schottenheimer would bring plenty of experience to the role. But that’s far from enough to make this an inspiring choice, and it’s left even the most optimistic of fans struggling to get excited.
It’s been a wild ride since Dallas and Mike McCarthy finally announced their divorce. We started with the ideas of Deion Sanders and Jason Witten being his replacement, then came to a much more traditional prospect in Kellen Moore. But the dust appears to be settling around Schottenheimer, and even some of the biggest dissenters to those other options would prefer them now.
What makes Schottenheimer such an unpopular choice? For one, there were mixed results during his two years with the Cowboys. While they had a top-five offense and were first in scoring in 2023, there were situational struggles and they generally did not show well against their better opponents. And then, of course, this year, even before Dak Prescott’s injury, there was a significant decline in the offense’s performance.
One of the struggles is knowing where Schottenheimer’s influence ended and McCarthy’s began. When Moore left in 2023, Schottenheimer was promoted from a one-year role as a consultant to coordinator while McCarthy took over play-calling duties. A big reason for Moore’s departure was rising hostility with McCarthy over offensive strategy, so we know that he held a much bigger say in things the last two years.
Still, that shouldn’t absolve Schottenheimer from blame. He’s approaching almost 30 years of coaching and has seen it from so many angles with different franchises. He grew up in the business. Either he wasn’t performing well enough or didn’t challenge McCarthy enough. In either case, that’s not a good sign for what he’ll do with even more authority.
Frankly, it’s hard to see Schottenheimer as much else than a guy who’s gotten by on a strong last name and not rocking anyone’s boat. Being Marty’s son got him into the NFL and some early college jobs with Syracuse and USC. His hottest period as a commodity was in the mid-2000s as the Jets’ OC, when he reportedly was considered for head-coaching vacancies with the Dolphins and Ravens.
From there, it’s just been a quiet, unimpressive series of stops around football. He was Andrew Luck’s QB coach for a couple of years with the Colts, though in one Luck was injured and the other was just an average season. Then he became OC for Seattle and they had a strong first year, especially running the ball, but things declined from there with Russell Wilson’s play and the offense as a whole. He also one year in Jacksonville in the disastrous Urban Meyer situation, and that did nothing to help improve Schottenheimer’s résumé.
Stepping back from each individual stop and the specific factors involved, the big picture shows a guy who’s been doing this for nearly three decades and yet hasn’t ever been given a head coaching job. That’s pretty unusual, especially for a guy with his pedigree. And while some guys just love what they do and don’t want the big chair, it’s not like Schottenheimer has been a very successful offensive coordinator or assistant for a while. Again, his hottest days in the NFL were nearly 20 years ago.
So given all this, why is he the reported frontrunner in Dallas? Why is his even in consideration? Again, the problem is that it may be based on something we just can’t see. We don’t have enough to form an opinion on Brian Schottenheimer the person, communicator, or potential leader. Maybe there’s something there that would make him a better head coach than a coordinator, but it’d be surprising that it hasn’t manifested before now.
Even that sounds a bit too optimistic. The scary, more realistic perspective here is that the Joneses are going with someone who won’t cost much money and won’t challenge the front office. Maybe he’s going to agree to this as a temp gig while Jason Witten is groomed for the future. Knowing he’s not on anyone’s radar anymore as a head coach candidate, maybe Schottenheimer is just doing this while he still can. It’s a marriage of convenience.
That is what’s driving the overwhelming negativity about Schottenheimer becoming the Cowboys’ next head coach. His weak résumé is one thing, but it’s more disturbing that it seems to be the Joneses leaning even harder into their worst tendencies. It feels like a regression to the Dave Campo era and the perpetuation of the franchise’s cycle of failure. Even when they brought in McCarthy, there was a reasonable argument that he’d be an upgrade over Jason Garrett. But this time, there’s just no real way to spin it.
If it happens, the only thing we can do is hope that Brian Schottenheimer proves us wrong. But with three decades of evidence to the contrary, both in his own accomplishments and those of the Dallas Cowboys, the optimists are left groping in the dark for something to hold on to. Maybe the coordinator hires would do more to lift out spirits if he was hired, but for now, it feels like getting kicked when we’re already in the fetal position.
Post a Comment