Dallas Cowboys Owner/GM Jerry Jones knew exactly what he was doing when he announced the hiring of OC Brian Schottenheimer as the new head coach late Friday night. He anticipated the social media frenzy, knowing people would question hiring a coach with no prior head coaching experience and no play-calling history in his three years with Dallas.
Jerry also understood that this news would overshadow the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders, the Cowboys’ NFC Championship Game rivals.
I was impressed with HC Brian Schottenheimer’s responses during the press conference. He said the right things, and I truly hope he can lead the team to success. However, I wish he wasn’t under the influence of ownership’s interference.
Meanwhile, Jerry and Stephen Jones irritated fans with their repeated deflections and endless talk of old risks and investments made 30 years ago. This article highlights their responses and aims to show Cowboys Nation how they’re trying to mislead us. Save it, Jerry and Stephen. We see right through your bull-Schott.
Question: What made you decide that Brian Schottenheimer was the right person to coach the Dallas Cowboys?
This question should have been simple, but Jerry turned it into a nearly 12-minute monologue, touching on various topics that barely addressed the question. He mentioned assistant coaches from his time at Arkansas who later became head coaches, and shared a story about not knowing if Jimmy Johnson or Barry Switzer were the right choices in the past, but feeling it would work out.
Jerry didn’t explain how Schottenheimer would improve the team’s performance. Instead, he hired him based on his long football background (with his father Marty being an NFL coach) and because of his rapport with players. Jerry also said, “How often do you get the chance to hire a head coach who has almost 30 years experience in coaching?” But there are plenty of assistants with similar experience, and some who have been offensive coordinators more recently.
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Question: What will you do differently to help Brian Schottenheimer and end the 29-year Super Bowl drought?
Stephen Jones took this question, which was actually aimed at whether the team would break away from their old ways and invest in free agents to help the coach. Stephen deflected, referring to the drought as “a drought people say we are in” while making air quotes. Stephen, are you suggesting the 29-year drought is a media myth? It’s real, and you’re in the middle of it.
He went on to discuss how they’ll look at free agency but didn’t provide much confidence for change. Jerry chimed in, recounting positive things people said about Schottenheimer, again avoiding the original question.
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Question: Can you tell us about the conversations you had with Brian Schottenheimer and when you felt comfortable making him the head coach?
Jon Machota of The Athletic asked about the conversations leading to Schottenheimer’s hiring. Stephen responded with more deflection, stating, “We want continuity, but we also want change.” This oxymoron shows they don’t know what they want, and it’s why fans are upset. They want change, but the Joneses continue business as usual.
Stephen said hiring Schottenheimer is about keeping up with the league trends. They believe Schottenheimer’s experience makes him a better option than the “offensive wizards” other teams are hiring. This claim seems delusional.
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Question: How do you get fans to buy into Brian Schottenheimer?
Nick Harris from the Fort Worth-Star Telegram asked Jerry how he would convince fans about Schottenheimer. Jerry admitted fans want playoff success and acknowledged their patience has run thin. But he claimed hiring Schottenheimer was the best way to make the playoffs and win. Given that they didn’t seriously consider other options, this seems more like wishful thinking than solid planning.
Question: Are there strategies you can take from your opponents to help the Cowboys moving forward, especially in terms of free agency and the salary cap?
Patrik Walker from dallascowboys.com asked if Jerry and Stephen were willing to change their conservative free agency strategy to be more aggressive, like the Philadelphia Eagles. Stephen responded by acknowledging other teams’ free agency success but reiterated that depth comes from the draft. This gives no confidence that things will change.
Jerry added an odd story about driving up in an old Bronco to his private jet, pointing out that just because the bank account is full, it doesn’t mean the money is there. He believes adding expensive free agents would mean trying to “have it all.” But other teams managing the cap by spending on free agents don’t seem to be suffering. It makes me think Jerry might be wrong about the Cowboys’ approach.
Question: How do you convince fans that your formula is working, given that you’ve made seven head coach hires?
Tim Cowlishaw from the Dallas Morning News asked Jerry how he would convince fans his approach is working. Jerry went off on a tangent, discussing turnover in GMs and coaches, and shared a dream of the Cowboys playing in big games like the Eagles did. If that’s truly his dream, Jerry should step aside as GM, because his methods haven’t worked since 1996.
