National Football League

Why Cowboys hiring Brian Schottenheimer might not be a ‘missed opportunity’

Updated Jan. 28, 2025 8:14 a.m. ET

Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin spoke for many Dallas Cowboys fans when addressing the team's in-house promotion of offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to head coach of "America's Team."

Irvin had lobbied for a former Cowboys teammate to take over for Mike McCarthy, who parted ways with the team after an impasse in contract negotiations.

"We missed an opportunity," Irvin said on his podcast. "I was pushing for Deion Sanders to be the head coach. And I still stand 10 toes down on that push."

Irvin went on to say that the Cowboys had fallen behind their NFC East rivals, as evidenced by the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders playing for the NFC Championship on Sunday. The Cowboys are the only NFC team that has not played in the conference title game in the past 30 years. The fan base has grown accustomed to a once-proud franchise not competing for Super Bowls.

The Cowboys certainly deserve criticism for not casting a wider net in their head-coaching search, interviewing just four candidates before settling on Schottenheimer when other teams interviewed twice as many coaches. Add in the fact that the Cowboys are the most valuable sports franchise in the world, and it's fair to wonder why 82-year-old owner Jerry Jones didn't take a bigger swing once McCarthy was out of the picture.

That said, signing Schottenheimer to a four-year deal at a reasonable salary is a low-risk move for a family-run team that values continuity. Schottenheimer already has a good relationship with star quarterback Dak Prescott, who's coming off a season-ending hamstring injury.

"One of the things about me taking over this prestigious position is we can hit the ground running pretty fast because I don't need to learn the decision-makers," Schottenheimer said at his introductory press conference on Monday. "I don't need to learn the quarterback. I don't need to learn how things work. And so, I feel like we're kind of ahead of the curve with some of these other teams that made changes."

Michael Irvin expresses disappointment in Cowboys’ head coach hire

Although McCarthy called the plays for the past two seasons, the 51-year-old Schottenheimer has plenty of experience calling plays in previous stops with the Seattle Seahawks, New York Jets and St. Louis Rams. Schottenheimer served as the offensive coordinator for QB Mark Sanchez when the Jets reached back-to-back AFC Championship Games in the 2009-2010 seasons. And when Russell Wilson was the quarterback from 2018 to 2020 in Seattle, Schottenheimer's offenses averaged 26.1 points per game.

He should get similar if not better production with the Cowboys if Prescott returns healthy next season.

Prescott and a handful of other Cowboys attended Schottenheimer's press conference on Monday. That continuity should serve them well as they move on from McCarthy, who won 12 games in three of his four seasons as head coach. Schottenheimer handled the presser admirably, emphasizing his relationships and communication skills gleaned from serving as an assistant coach in college and pro football for 25 seasons.

Those who have played for Schottenheimer say he commands a room, holds players accountable and offers a detailed approach to his craft, so he should not be overwhelmed by the multitude of tasks head coaches must handle.

Schottenheimer also had a good coaching mentor in his father, Marty Schottenheimer, who had a 200-126-1 record in 21 seasons as an NFL head coach.

No, Schottenheimer is not a sexy choice, and Jones is understandably taking heat both nationally and in Dallas for the hire when more experienced choices were available.

"I get my proverbial ass kicked over needing people in my comfort zone," Jones said Monday. "Without this thing being about me in any way, if you don't think I can't operate out of my comfort zone, you're so wrong it's unbelievable.

"This is as big a risk as you can take, as big a risk as you can take. No head-coaching experience."

Jones and Cowboys fans can take comfort in knowing that there have been other underwhelming hires recently that have worked out just fine. The Cowboys can look within their own division, where Eagles coach Nick Sirianni was criticized after a cringy introductory press conference. Sirianni now has the Eagles in their second Super Bowl in three seasons.

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell talked about biting kneecaps during his introductory presser but has built the team into one of the best in the NFC.

Schottenheimer is a coaching lifer and the son of one of the most successful coaches in NFL history. The Cowboys should be competitive with him in charge. Of course, winning regular-season games hasn't been the issue in Dallas; winning in the postseason has.

As Jones hires the ninth head coach in team history, the question remains: Will this move lead the Cowboys back to the Super Bowl after a 30-year absence?

That's the plan, according to Schottenheimer.

"The main thing is we want to win the Super Bowl," he said. "My dad always talked about that. He said, ‘Well, why would you have any other goal?' It should be about winning the Super Bowl. Only one team [wins], but that doesn't mean you don't strive for that."

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.

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