Cowboys roundtable: Discussing Brian Schottenheimer as head coach
Our writers provide their opinions on the latest Dallas Cowboys news during our weekly review on the Roundtable
Every week, we gather the latest news about the Dallas Cowboys and seek our writer’s perspective on each headline. Welcome back to the roundtable. This week we have Tom Ryle, David Howman and Jess Haynie.
How do you rate the Brian Schottenheimer hiring as head coach and what message does this send for Jerry Jones and company?
It was announced on Thursday that Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator, Brian Schottenheimer, will be the next head coach, taking over from Mike McCarthy. The hiring has already generated widespread comments from media, Cowboys fans, and even fans from all 31 other teams.
Howman: On a scale of 1-10, I give it a 6. Schottenheimer would not have been my pick but I believe he can be successful. The issue is the message this sends: Jerry Jones has no idea what he’s doing. He bungled the Mike McCarthy situation and had no plan in place when McCarthy ultimately left him at the altar. We already knew there was a fundamental problem with the way this organization operates, but this coaching search has suggested it may be even worse than we thought.
Tom: It’s a bit hard, because Schottenheimer was kind of invisible to us. There might be great reasons to hire him. We don’t know. But I’m reading this as a Dave Campos type hire where familiarity and a willingness to not rock the boat were prized. It seems evident Jerry wants to continue business as usual. That does not bode well. I don’t know about grading the hire, but I give the process a flat F.
Jess: I give it a “D” as there was one move that would’ve been worse; keeping McCarthy. We all have our feelings, and mostly doubts, about the potential success here. But one thing I was 100% sure of was that running it back with Big Mike wasn’t going to work. They had to mix something up on the offensive coaching staff and in the overall spirit of the locker room after five years. So hopefully change is a good thing, albeit with a very suspect option.
What are the expectations for Dallas this year under Schottenheimer?
Although Schottenheimer has never been head coach he has extensive experience as offensive coordinator. In Seattle, Schottenheimer’s offense set franchise records in points scored and gave Russell Wilson his career season. But that was followed by a down year in Jacksonville and being the OC for a Dallas offense last year that struggled to run the ball.
Howman: I think fan expectations will be super low because this isn’t a sexy hire, but the realistic expectation should still be the playoffs. The Cowboys have holes to fill, but the core nucleus remains intact, and they have enough talent to reach the postseason.
Tom: I think seven or eight wins is the ceiling. I have to disagree with Howman. Dallas has a handful of stars and a bunch of average or worse players. I worry Will McClay is losing his touch because the past couple of drafts haven’t impressed. They need a real infusion of talent.
Jess: Considering we still eked out seven wins with some of the worst injury luck possible, I think 9-10 wins and a wild card spot isn’t unreasonable. A key factor will be if Matt Eberflus does a better job of getting the defense adjusted than Mike Zimmer did, who admitted he waiting too long to install more of his system.
What position do you predict Schottenheimer will focus on early in the NFL Draft?
With Schottenheimer’s offense there is a lot of running the ball and the use of play-action, something fans were calling for under Mike McCarthy. With that scheme, offensive line and running back become obvious needs in the draft to fit Schottenheimer’s philosophy. As for the defensive side, that will be something Schottenheimer and Matt Eburflus will need to discuss (once we get confirmation Eberflus is the new defensive coordinator).
Howman: Definitely not quarterback. Outside of that? The Cowboys have holes everywhere, truthfully. I would imagine Schottenheimer will want another weapon in the pass game, whether it’s Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden or Penn State tight end Tyler Warren or anyone else. But he won’t really be wrong if he focuses somewhere else either.
Tom: The Cowboys can really go best player available because of all the holes. Rebuilding the roster is going to take more than one offseason, unless there’s a radical change in the approach to free agency. Spoiler alert: There won’t be.
Jess: Well, part of the reason we don’t like this hire is the idea that it only given the front office more control over things. So I doubt that what Schottenheimer wants really matters. But that said, I agree with David and Tom that the Cowboys are in a great “BPA” position for this draft to scoop up a DT, WR, or most of what else could drop out of the top ten. And if that’s RB Ashton Jeanty, taking him at 12 feels very different from when they took Ezekiel Elliott with the fourth overall pick.
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