Brian Schottenheimer’s Culture Shift Could Save the Cowboys

The Cowboys went on the road to Philadelphia and almost stole the game on banner night, yet the number one question was about news that happened a week prior. If this were last year, the team would continue to entertain the story. However, something feels different, and it starts with the man nobody trusted to take the team to the promised land.

Trusting Schottenheimer

When Brian Schottenheimer was brought in, nobody in the media was behind the hire. He was a long-time coordinator in the NFL who never got an opportunity to lead a team. Something about the way he carried himself on and off the field stood out to the Cowboys front office, and they went towards an internal hire instead of entertaining names on the market.

It was a head scratcher to say the least, but from the moment he took the podium, something felt different. He cared about football and nothing else. The same was said by Mike McCarthy, but it didn’t really feel like he had an impact in the locker room.

That’s not to say the players didn’t like him. They said the same about Jason Garrett. This culture that Schottenheimer has installed in just an offseason, however, is something that hasn’t been seen since the 1990s.

Is Schottenheimer Jimmy Johnson or Barry Switzer? No, and he never will be. Those guys were hand-picked by Jerry Jones, predestined to become head coaches when the job opened.

Schottenheimer’s hiring felt like he was being thrown into a fire that had been brewing since the words ‘all in” were uttered from Jones’s mouth. Despite every distraction possible this offseason, he was still only focused on creating a real culture.

A Schott At Something Special

It’s hard not to like what Schottenheimer has done through two weeks. The culture was talked about highly all offseason, but the schematic execution remained an unavoidable question mark.

Coaches can have a good locker room and poor schemes. That doesn’t make a good culture. They have to be able to blend both without sacrificing the other, and so far, Schottenheimer has done that.

With him transitioning from the offensive coordinator, that was the unit everyone was eager to see results from. They’ve looked like one of the best units in the NFL through two weeks.

They aren’t flawless. CeeDee Lamb has had a case of the drops spring out of nowhere, and George Pickens is still figuring out the chemistry between him and Dak Prescott. A story no one expected was the revival of Javonte Williams.

Last year, the Cowboys’ offense had six rushing touchdowns and one of the worst ground games in the league. Williams already has half of last season’s total rushing touchdowns and is seventh in rushing yards. His role as a workhorse is set in stone, but what about the unit’s success as a whole?

The chart above details the success rates of each offense when starting with a first-and-10 and earning a new set of downs. Three-and-outs became a disgusting staple of the Cowboys’ offense in years past. They would either have picture-perfect offensive series or stall out instantly. Not these Cowboys, though. Almost 70% of the series are extended beyond the first set of downs, ranking fifth so far in the NFL.

This unit passes the eye test as well. The offense looks poised and is meshing well despite not being anywhere near its ceiling. That says a lot about the kind of impact Schottenheimer is making early in his tenure.

The Cowboys Are Fun Again

The Cowboys will always be talked about thanks to the media cycle Jerry Jones plagues his team with. But for once, fans can put that aside and enjoy the football team instead of a soap opera.

Was the secondary awful last week? Sure, but the run defense that Jones so desperately used to defend the Parsons trade has been good. They held Saquon Barkley to 60 yards in Week 1, allowing just one yard on his last seven carries.

One big play saved what would’ve been a disastrous ground game for New York. Mobile quarterbacks will likely give them headaches, but they look significantly better in the trenches.

Then, there’s the video that every fan can’t stop watching.

McCarthy had to smash watermelons to get his team close to being fired up. Schottenheimer, instead, has a genuine connection with the players. He even got Jerry into the post-game hype.

This team isn’t a contender quite yet, but it’d be a lie to say that this year doesn’t feel different. Schottenheimer emphasized culture above all else, and so far, he’s living up to that sentiment.