Cowboys’ Schotty Issues Emotional First Statement on Culture

FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys head coaching search, is over, with Jerry and Stephen Jones finally zeroing in on an in-house candidate in Brian Schottenheiemer.

And now Schottenheimer, the out-of-contract offensive coordinator here the last two years, is now the man in charge… and is speaking for the first time on his new coach.

“Schotty,” 51, has a lengthy résumé as a coordinator, but this will be his first job as a head coach - something he addressed in this first-ever press conference on Monday here inside The Star.

"I'm ready now,” Schottenheimer said. “I know what I want. I know what it looks like."

And what is that? The coach stressed “culture.”

Said Schottenheimer, acknowledging Dak Prescott and other Cowboys in the audience: “To our players, you are the core of this program. And we will focus on you everyday… It means the world to me that you are here. I can't wait to do this alongside you."

Schottenheimer said, “The family first mantra… embodied by the Joneses… a first-class organization… it’s about the way we treat each other …

To do what we need to do… our team will be driven by a competitive spirit and our love for each other.”

A protege of departed head coach Mike McCarthy and the son of legendary coach Marty Schottenheimer, Brian becomes the 10th head coach in Dallas history.

What is Schottenheimer looking for? He mentioned specifically…

• World-class competitors 
• Relentless work ethic 
• People who value relationships

"It's not about Xs and Os, it’s people and people that love football,” Schottenheimer said with emotion while thanking his family, which was also present.

Schottenheimer, who comes to the head coach role with the thumbs-up endorsement of locker-room leader Dak Prescott - "He'll be ready for the next step,'' Prescott recently said, "he has the right personality and brain'' - has according to sources already put down the groundwork for a new staff.

But this day and this move - “not glamorous,” owner Jerry Jones conceded - is about Schottenheimer.

Critics of the move are already doubting that Schottenheimer is superior to McCarthy and that Jerry’s coaching search was more “cheap” than it was “deep.”

Jerry argued against that, setting the stage for the next great hope.

“I’m really good with X’s and O’s,” Schottenheimer said. “But I’m great with people.”