The Dallas Cowboys did not earn rave reviews when they made an in-house hire to fill their head coaching vacancy after firing Mike McCarthy. Former offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer seems to be doing the right things so far in the offseason, especially when it comes to pruning his already strong relationship with his players.
Schottenheimer spoke to the media as Cowboys minicamp came to a close on Thursday, and was asked about the biggest change for him from his job leading the offense to now overseeing the entire team. For him, a big part of the upcoming break will be checking in with every single person on the roster.
“I think it’s important to recharge your battery. It’s a long season, it’s been a long year. When you take a job like this, you don’t really get a long break, but the biggest change for me is instead of having to look over 45 guys in terms of staying in contact and reaching out, now you got 90 guys. And not only 90 guys but you got a full staff, and so I’ll be busy, you know, making phone calls and checking in.
Schottenheimer, who is in his first head coaching job at 51, admits he got a little emotional while delivering one last minicamp message to his team. (His answer comes in around the nine-minute mark of the video below.)
“I called the guys up today and I told them, ‘Hey, a couple things. No. 1: Take care of yourself, take care of your families. Hang with the ones you love,’ and then I told them I love them. And I got a little emotional. These guys gave us everything that we’ve asked for this spring and I think they’ll do that when we get started out in Oxnard, [Calif.].”
Fans have gotten a peak behind the curtain at Schottenheimer’s personality in recent weeks, even when he wasn’t expecting it. He was featured in a viral video on the receiving end of a “good night” phone call from Micah Parsons, and praised his defensive star for how he’s handled himself during contract negotiations this offseason.
Time will tell whether he ultimately works out as the 10th head coach in Cowboys history, but he appears to be cementing a reputation as a player’s coach already.
