This will be the first time we see head coach Brian Schottenheimer carrying the most important clipboard for a team. He is, after all, getting ready for his debut, not only as the Cowboys‘ coach, but as an NFL coach, too.
Despite that, Schottenheimer is an experienced coach. He is just 51 years old but as the son of former head coach Marty Schottenheimer, who was a head coach in the NFL for 21 seasons, he was given opportunities to get into the sport early. Brian Schottenheimer was an assistant with the Rams as far back as 1997, when he was just 24.
Brian Schottenheimer ‘Believes in Connections’
Through it all, Schottenheimer believes he has established a clear identity in the league, as a guy who connects with his players. And he intends on sticking to that.
“I think I’ve always been someone that believes in connections, getting to know these guys,” Schottenheimer said, via the team website. “I’ve always been someone who’s been able to be demanding and I’m pretty good at disciplining guys. I promised myself, when I got this opportunity, that I wouldn’t change, because I think I’ve seen too many people change.”
Schottenheimer has been around long enough and has worked with enough of a variety of head coaches to have seen the top job change the approach those guys took. He vowed that won’t happen with him.
“The guys I’ve seen change — I’m not going to name them — they weren’t very successful, and I plan on being really successful,” he said. “The reason I think I’ll do that is because of my values and my beliefs and how hard I work, but also because I’m going to be me and I’m not going to change that for anything.”
Cowboys Will Need Quick Turnaround
Still, importantly for Cowboys fans, Schottenheimer knows that being a nice guy is not necessarily going to get him anywhere in the league. It’s a results business, and with Dallas coming off a 6-11 season after three straight 12-win campaigns, Schottenheimer will have to show results quickly.
“In a business like ours, where I’m going to be judged, we’re going to be judged on wins and losses, and that’s part of the deal,” Schottenheimer said. “And believe me, no one wants to win more than me. No one wants to win a Super Bowl more than me. But at the end of the day, I’d not be doing my job if I didn’t make sure that both young and old players alike weren’t investing in one another.”
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