Cowboys

Some league historians believe Marty Schottenheimer, the father of Cowboys HC Brian Schottenheimer, is the greatest head coach never to win a Super Bowl. Brian is hoping to win one during his career in honor of his late father.

“It’s always something I’ve always dreamed of, you know,” Brian said recently on The Twins Take Podcast. “I want to win a Super Bowl. I don’t want to win it for me.”

“I want to win it for the people under my leadership,” he said. “I want to win it for Dak Prescott. I want to win it for CeeDee Lamb, for Quinnen Williams, for your players who put in so much hard work and the sacrifice that goes into what we do. You know, from us as a coaching staff, it’s the hours, it’s the mental strain of game planning, but for the players, they put their bodies on the line. I make no qualms, that that’s the goal. The Super Bowl next year is Feb. 14th, 2027. We plan on being there.”

“I’ve said this from the very beginning,” Schottenheimer noted. “When we get our Super Bowl rings, I’ll be getting an extra one for my dad.”

Eagles

• Jeremy Fowler‘s defensive tackles rankings saw Eagles DT Jalen Carter take one of the top spots: “He’s a problem,” a veteran NFL defensive coach said. “A game-wrecker. You feel his presence out there consistently.”
• “He flashes 10 times a game but gets dragged far too often by average players,” added an anonymous NFL coordinator.
• Eagles DT Jordan Davis drew some high marks, including some ranking him over Carter: “He’s just so f‐‐‐ing strong and consistent,” an NFL coordinator said. “And he’s gotten better as he’s gotten older and in better shape. Carter is the better talent, but Davis had the better season.”
• Fowler ranked cornerbacks as well, with CB Quinyon Mitchell receiving a position and CB Cooper DeJean getting an honorable mention: “Well-rounded coverage game and very competitive against the opposing team’s No. 1,” an AFC executive said of Mitchell. “Turnover production holds him back from the top of the group for me. Still an excellent player. Sticky man-to-man guy. He’s tough. Plays smart in big moments. Connected at the point of attack, which is one of the hardest things to ask for on a consistent basis. Will continue to get better and better.”
• “He holds his own at any position, on the inside or outside,” a veteran NFC coach said about DeJean. “He’s a corner because of the way he plays. [The Eagles] play a lot of man, and he ain’t shying away from nothing. He has the range and speed to play outside all day, too. He’s a Swiss Army knife.”

Giants

Giants QB Jaxson Dart is heading into year two and his first year under HC John Harbaugh, after Harbaugh spent the previous eight years with Lamar Jackson under center. Harbaugh explained the various concepts they can run with Dart because of his skill set, and implied they aren’t going to limit him in any way. 

“Jaxson’s capable of doing a lot of things,” Harbaugh said, via The Domonique Foxworth Show. “Like he can live in a lot of different worlds, football-wise. He can live in a power-running game, obviously, and a power-running game protects the quarterback because you can hand the ball off and make people defend that and keep them honest. Then, it opens up your play-action passing game. … That stuff, we’re gonna be in those worlds.”

“So, that all kind of goes together on first and second down to create problems for the defense, and I just feel like it all starts with the quarterback. Jaxson is a guy that does give you a chance to live in all those different worlds. So, if he can do it, then we’re gonna do it, and that’s what we’re planning on doing.”

Harbaugh went into more detail surrounding the concern about Dart’s rushing ability, which is sometimes seen as a bit reckless and has led to injuries. Harbaugh says he used to hear the same things about Jackson, and feels there’s a fine line for Dart to manage between being aggressive and being reckless. 

“I mean, he’s aware of it. You got a fine line. I remember hearing the same thing about Lamar, and the same things were said about Lamar really every year but especially after the first season. ‘It’s unsustainable the way he plays. It’s never gonna last. You’ve got to protect him. He can’t run as much.’ You say something like that to Lamar, and he kinda just looks at you like you’ve got three heads. It’s like, ‘No, I’m gonna play ball, I’m gonna play ball.’ I just knew, I trusted that he was gonna protect himself because he wants to be out there and he wants to play and it’s not the type of a sport where you [can] put yourself in bubble wrap. You’re gonna play ball and you’re gonna get tackled and things can happen out there.”

“But I do think playing the game in a way that respects that there are other guys out there that are capable of doing damage to you when you have the ball in your hands, especially for the quarterback, is important. I trust that Jaxson Dart understands that.”