Back in January of this year, when the Dallas Cowboys needed a new head coach after Mike McCarthy’s departure, fans had their own favorites for the job. Suffice it to say, very few fans had Brian Schottenheimer at the top of their list.

When Jerry Jones decided that the Cowboys offensive coordinator was the man for the job, there was a tremendous negative backlash from the fanbase. Many thought the Jones family was just going cheap because Schottenheimer would be a first-time head coach. Others thought Jerry was just hiring a puppet, someone who would carry out his wishes.

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In general, it was a time when most thought – what are the Cowboys doing? Fast forward roughly six months, and the feeling is very different.

Schottenheimer came in and immediately sounded like a head coach. His first press conference was a little bit of an eye-opener for the fans as we heard a confident and somewhat inspirational coach speaking. He followed that up by bonding with the players and putting his own stamp on the culture.

That was fine, but what has really moved the needle are the moves the Cowboys have made since his hire. The roster of assistant coaches he put together looks extremely promising. The Cowboys also made more roster acquisitions through free agency and trades, and by all accounts had a strong draft.

The Cowboys under Schottenheimer, seem, dare I say, competent. The head coach seems to have a plan that is being executed, and he seems to have the full buy-in of the players. And maybe the fans, too.

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We asked you to grade the job Schottenheimer has done since his appointment as head coach. 88% of respondents gave him either an ‘a’ or ‘b’ grade. That’s high praise.

Obviously none of this will matter once the games begin. That is when we will measure the true impact of Schottenheimer as head coach. Right now, the oddsmakers are still not believers. FanDuel has the Cowboys at +480 to win the NFC East, far behind the Eagles and the Commanders.

Schottenheimer has a lot of work to do to bring the Cowboys back to where they are contenders, but his start seems promising.

For more NFL bets, visit our partners at FanDuel.

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