Brian Schottenheimer brings energy to the Cowboys, so what? Here are 3 other things that will make an even bigger difference

Dak Prescott, Michael Irvin, DeMarvion Overshown, and many more have made sure you hear about it: New Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer has a different energy about him. 

Some, like Irvin, are already saying he's changing the culture. And while it's clear he has a great personality, the calendar reads June. As such, it's real difficult to get excited about any of it. Because quite frankly, culture and energy doesn't cut it in the NFL.

You need a great roster, solid Xs and Os, and quality play calling. Let's dive into three things that Schottenheimer needs to prove that will make an even bigger difference than the work environment he's setting at The Star.

Explosive and varied run concepts

Throughout the last few years, the Cowboys fell behind in the world of run game play-calling. It's been a long time of heavy doses of inside zones with little to no sprinkles in the run game. Meanwhile, plenty of NFL teams are calling explosive run concepts such as counter, pin and pull, among others. 

With Klayton Adams arriving as offensive coordinator Schottenheimer should have no shortage of ideas to implement such concepts. Adams' previous team—the Arizona Cardinals—led the NFL in rush attempts with a pulling blocker and had the second-most counter attempts. He will surely wish to implement all of that.

But come gamedays, it will be Schottenheimer calling plays into the headset. Is he changing things up or will it be the same old, same old on the field? Expect this to be even more relevant given the coaching staff will need to overcome a RB room with no clear leader.

Play aggressive in early downs

When Schottenheimer called plays for the Seattle Seahawks, there's no denying he was a run-first type of play caller. 

"He will probably call too many run plays, but one advantage of this is that his belief that the run game sets up play action leads him to use play action a lot," Seahawks and analytics expert Ben Baldwin told A to Z Sports in January.

But there's a strong chance the Cowboys should become a pass-first team in 2025. They don't have a proven RB and their most explosive bet is an undersized fifth-round rookie in Jaydon Blue. In contrast, they have one of the best wide receiver duos in the NFL with CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. 

How Schottenheimer balances his play calling and particularly, how aggressive he is in early downs will go a long way in figuring out how good he will be as Cowboys head coach. 

Game management situations 

Every year, NFL coaches win and lose games through game management. A bad timeout—or non-timeout—can easily sway a one-score game. Matt Eberflus lived it last year as the Chicago Bears head coach. And more than once, Mike McCarthy cost the Cowboys an opportunity at a comeback because of timeout mishandling. 

By stepping up from OC to HC, this will be Schottenheimer's first year balancing game management duties. Let's see how he does.