Brian Schottenheimer: The Parity is Real | Dallas Cowboys 2025

Brian Schottenheimer: The Parity is Real | Dallas Cowboys 2025

What’s the message to your group as we as you begin a new week? Just that it’s a new it’s a new week. Uh guys are in today. We uh watched the uh review of the Eagles game. You know, it’s uh it’s always a little harder to do it three days after because you’d rather do it the day after when it’s fresh. But uh just pointed out the good the things we did well, things we need to do better, and then how we’re going to do that. And then uh take a little lunch break, which we’re on now, and then uh do the Giants intro. So, um, you know, we never change. Our process always stays the same. Your philosophy the 24-hour rule or is it in this case? Yeah, like 48 hours cuz you saw CD obviously he was upset about the game. He’s working out. How do you try to move on? Well, the the rule I abide by is the midnight rule. That’s a Marty Shottenheimer rule. Midnight and we didn’t get done till playing till I think after midnight. So, um, but, uh, his thing was always, hey, you play the game, you have till midnight to feel sorry for yourself or be excited, and then once midnight hits at 12:01, you move on to the next opponent because there’s another great team coming in. You know, sitting around watching football yesterday, you know, Calvin, I mean, the league is exactly where they want to be. You know, very good football teams, very close games. Um, and, uh, the parody is real. So, I I really do believe that’s important. Uh this one carries over a little bit just because of the fact that again the league mandates you give the guys a couple days off. So you had to touch on today. We don’t shy away from having hard conversations or celebrating big wins. Um you like I said the process is always the same. Brian Todd Archer with the ESPN. You guys didn’t allow a sack uh to the Eagles. Now you’re facing another pass rush. It’s seems to be pretty good as well. How do you when you have a young line, how do you tell them like, “Hey, good job, but now get ready for these guys.” It’s a humbling business, man. They know that they uh each each week has its own challenges, Todd. And uh this is a incredible front coming in here. They’ve obviously added, you know, uh Abdul Carter, uh high draft pick, good player, but with, you know, Dexter inside and Burns and Tibido and, you know, big uh Bobby Okariki fan. I think he’s a hell of a football player. And um but I was proud of the guys last game. Uh again, wasn’t perfect, you know, but uh we played physical. That was the big thing that jumped off the film even watching again with the players this morning was how physical this football team played. And I think if we play as physical as we did the other night, we play with the discipline that we had the other night, then I think we’ll feel good going into most weeks that we’ll find a way to get a victory. in Javvante. Was that the touches that you want like ultimately you’d like to see from him on a week-toeek basis or is that something you think might rotate? No, I think you know I think Javvante’s kind of um you know he’s clearly the starter right now, but uh again we didn’t have we didn’t have many attempts at the plate. You know, I wish we could have gotten a few more attempts at the plate and uh defense gave us a chance there late to, you know, you know, put the game away with the win and uh victory with the touchdown. We didn’t do that. But, uh, I thought, you know, overall, Javvante played the game the right way, man. If you watch him, he showed how physical he is as a runner, but also, uh, without the ball, we ran a little speed sweep. I think it was the second play of the game where he comes out and he’s blocking Cooper Deene. And then there’s a chip on a two technique earlier in the game and or, uh, at some point in the game. And, um, I’m excited for Javvante and and what he brings to our offense. John Masho with the athletic. uh on the outside going into that game, it was kind of tough to know what you guys would be because of the new pieces, new coaching staff, uh not doing much in the preseason with a lot of those guys. Was there anything when you watched the film that maybe exceeded your expectations? I just uh I wouldn’t say exceeded our expectations, John. I mean, you know, we we we’re very confident group. I’m confident in the guys that we have in that locker room. I do think the physicality uh jumps off, but I’ll also speak to the discipline. And I mean to go into that environment, it was loud. It was as it should be. Opening night of the NFL regular season 2025. And you know, our guys played disciplined. We had the one pre- snap penalty, which is more on us as coaches with the 12 men on the field. And um again, when you do that, if you have that type of discipline, you play with that type of physical um standard of football and then, you know, you carry that into not beating yourselves. You know, we didn’t we didn’t really beat ourselves much. We didn’t have a lot of penalties and a lot of self-inflicted wounds. You know, the one turnover that cost us certainly, but um the first thing that jumps out would be the physicality. And then how’d you come out of the game healthwise? Uh pretty good. Pretty clean. You know, for a physical game like that, like I just talked about the physicality. I think we should be uh in pretty good shape. I’ll get update here. We’ll know a lot more come Wednesday. Nick Nick Harris for Star Telegram. Brian Dingle said yesterday after the Giants game that he wasn’t necessarily committing to Russell Wilson as a starter as far as prepping for two quarterbacks during a week. What does that look like for you guys? And is there much of a challenge that goes into that? Uh well, first of all, Dave is a really good friend of mine. We were together with the Jets. Uh he’s never going to give you guys much. He’s smart. He’s been around Bill, uh Coach Bellich, but uh uh again, you know, we’ve obviously I know Russ very well. Um won a lot of games together in Seattle. Uh can’t wait to see him. And then of course there’s video of Jackson from uh college in the preseason. Supposedly played great in the preseason. I didn’t I didn’t see that. Uh so we’ll be ready for both of them, but uh again, we’re just starting our prep and uh again, we’ll uh see how they how they play. Supposedly they’re going to have a a package for Jackson yesterday anyways. And then with Marshon Nean, what’s kind of seen or not seen behind the scenes as far as his work ethic goes or whatever that prepares him for, you know, a situation on on Thursday night where he had a good game. Same guy every day, Nick. I mean, literally the same guy every day. The guy that that the world saw run around on that football field and play physical and get the sack and chase things down. And he had a great, you know, strip attempt on Saquon that didn’t come out. Um, he is the same guy each and every single day. And that consistency I talk about a lot up here, right? The consistency is what jumps off the film even at someone like myself that’s around them every day. And now it’s like the the the league knows the league knows how talented this young man is. But it’s because of his work ethic, his love for the game of football, and he plays the game the right way. And you can’t go into that that game and not have confidence knowing that um you know he’s a a terrific young football player that’s only going to continue to ascend. Tom Tommy Arch Dallas Cowboys.com you talked about with Mazy consistency is something you want to see some of the other younger guys who are game day in actors like a Jaden Blue or Shamar James. What do they need to show you during the week to kind of continue to earn your trust and earn the trust of the staff? You kind of answered your own question there, Tommy, because it is consistency. Um, you know, at the end of the day, young players, it it hits at different times, you know, and I’ll talk about, you know, Jaden, he’s extremely talented. I mean, he really is talented, but there’s a way you have to perform, especially with a mantra of compete every day. I mean, you know, if you’re not putting it out there and you’re not doing right every day and if you take a step back on a Thursday, maybe he did great on Wednesday on Thursday. I’m not saying he did, but that’s going to get noticed. And this was an incredibly talented roster. And um you have to earn your chance to get out there. It’s not because I was the first overall pick of the draft or whatever it is. Like there’s got to be consistency. And I will speak to a guy like Tyler Booker. He’s not been perfect. He didn’t play perfect, but Tyler Booker has been very, very consistent. you know, each and every day what you’re going to get from Tyler Booker. And I think some of the young guys that were inactive, we’ve had those hard conversations with them. They understand where they need to go. And I have no question that they will respond to that. Will that be this week? I don’t know. We’ll see. But, uh, the cool thing for them is they can determine that, you know, and they might have a great week of practice, but because of numbers, they could be still inactive or they could have a average week and we end up needing them to step up because of different things that happen. But, uh, consistency is clearly the thing that we’re always looking for with young players. Scott, Scott with the AP. I asked you last week a little bit about third QBs. I had one followup now that you played a game without the emergency QB and you’ve you’ve indicated that you have emergency QB plans if you don’t want to share. Do you think the league still needs that third QB provision on game day or is that maybe an overreaction to that playoff game? Yeah, probably. Um, again, I go back and forth. I I literally, you asked the question, so my mind is processing. It’d be great to be able to have three guys active just in case. Um, but they certainly, you know, have done the studies and and know kind of what they’re looking for. But um you know last year we obviously with Trey Lance we carried the three and you know there’s limitations of when they can go in and when they go in how it looks but um we’re all dealt with the same cards and you decide how you want to use your roster and um again uh to steal a a line from Tom Moore. I remember when I was in New York, he came and was consulting with us and he always talked about, you know, Pton Manning and he said, you know, you see number 18 in there and I was like, “Yeah, we were watching some Colts film.” And he’s like, “If he’s not in there, we’re basically effed.” And I would do Tom’s voice. Uh but uh uh it was just great. And I was just kind of like interesting comment. But uh you know, look at the end of the day, this is a this is a quarterback driven business, man. And so the biggest thing for me is that you should always be trying to develop your quarterbacks. And if you’re forced to play your third or your fourth quarterback, uh, it could be a tough road. Joe Hoy, Dallas Morning News. Uh, one more question about Marshon Neland. Obviously, Demarcus Lawrence was going to be a pending free agent. This guy used a second round pick on. What did you see from Marshon Neland kind of last year learning from Demarcus Lawrence to potentially kind of take over that role like he is this year? Yeah. Uh, number one, Marshawn is a sponge and he learns from everybody, but like I think Daw did a great job really uh leaning into him last year and you know they are very similar. The play style, the aggressiveness, the violence in their hands and the instincts that they play uh play on. Um, again, I think that’s what we’re trying to build, you know, and I think, um, meaning when practice ends today, I hope there’s a handful of our veterans, there normally is that stay out there with a young guy or two to lean into them. Not just because you we want you guys to see it on camera. It’s because it’s going to help us. Is it going to help us this week? I don’t know. Uh, but it sure as hell is going to help us three, four, five, six, seven weeks down the line. And so, we have the right type of culture. And when you have your veteran players, again going back, staying out there and spending time with your young players, I think that that’s a huge, huge, huge, huge advantage. And um, you know, I’ve seen it with multiple of our vets. Dak obviously prioritized using his legs this offseason, mobility, kind of trying to train that up. Again, you guys didn’t allow Zack, but there were pressures. How much of that is a testament to what Dak was able to do from his mobility standpoint and what did you see from that work in the offseason kind of translating? Well, number one, he looks great. Um, just, you know, physically he looks great, but you know, pass protection’s it it incorporates everybody. You know, it incorporates the receivers getting open. It incorporates him making good decisions. It’s obviously the pass protection unit as a whole. It’s the running back. So, it’s really not just one thing. Um, but that’s a very very good front that we played. And um you know they’ve they’ve got the ability to affect passers and um I think you know for the most part we did a really really good job of going through our progressions getting the ball out of our hand but when he had to move he moved and he moved well Garrett Garrett put CBS Sports Brian George Piggins he had four targets in the last game is that was that a game plan thing or is that more stacks first game back and he’s just really excited to throw 13 to see Lamb? No, again, you know, each week’s going to be different. You know, Garrett, I mean, George is an incredible player. Uh they they did cloud to him quite a bit, but um you know, each week’s going to be different, and you never go in and say, “Okay, hey, well, you get 13 or 14 this week, and you get four.” Like, we never do that. Uh really the the ball kind of goes, you know, certain spots. Looking back at the film, you know, even watching with Dak a little bit ago, there was one or two potential possibilities where the ball should have gone to George. And um the cool thing about George is like I said he was so into the game you know like he just he affects the game in a good way and um you know I never felt one time like he was pressing which is a great thing. What is the conversation like you know entering this week new player like him contract year wide receiver where they kind of have to ask for the ball. What’s that like you the play caller going to a receiver like that and talking after a week where it’s only that that kind of number? Well it’s funny and I didn’t have it with uh George. I should have probably had it with George, but uh I showed CD before the game all of his targets. So on the back of your call sheet, you’ve got to get the ball to certain people and like it was like this. Okay, CD, look at all your targets. And then literally George’s was right below him. I was like, “Okay, then look at all George’s targets.” So it’s like uh obviously the way we’re designing the game plan is to feature your playmakers. And um it’s uh it’s very evident that those two guys are elite players. I think that’s why Vic and those guys played us the way they did. That’s why I think the running game is so important because I think we’re going to see quite a bit of split safety or shell coverage because they’re going to respect our guys on the outside because if you play them one-on-one, you know, the defense is at a disadvantage. So, um, again, it’s more of of them just knowing, hey, we see you. We know you’re a great player. We’re going to try to get you the ball as much as possible, but like I’ve always said, there’s only one ball to go around. And a lot of it is again the two of them have such a great relationship that George was happy for CD with his production. And guess what? This week when it flips CD will be happy for for George and vice versa. Christie Christy Scales Cowboys radio on 1053 the fan. Want to go back to quarterback for just a moment and your knowledge of Russell Wilson even after all these years and he’s not surrounded by what he used to be. What is it that you most appreciate about his game? Oh man, that’s a great question. It’s probably a long answer. Uh, one of the greatest deep ball throwers I’ve ever been around, Christie. This guy’s ability to just drop the ball in the bucket and put the perfect amount of air um to the receiver that it was intended to. What do I mean by that? Like Tyler Lockett was a was a 425 guy. Probably still runs pretty damn fast. So, he would put a little bit more air up underneath it and let Tyler go track it. whereas DK, he would throw it a little bit flatter, but it didn’t matter who he was throwing it to, he just was probably one of the best deep ball throwers I’ve ever been around. Um, the ability to extend plays when I was with him was incredible. Um, you know, he just was a great improviser and that’s that’s what our game’s become. I mean, our game is, you know, sitting around, you know, watching the games last night, watching Lamar and and Josh play, man, it’s like if you can’t move around and make plays in this league, you know, it’s uh it’s it’s you’re you’re outgunned a little bit. So, um those are the first two things that pop out. Excited to see Russ. I’m actually mad. I got to reach out to him because uh Tad over here, my man Tad, he’s got on more. So, Russ has a shoe brand called Goodman. It’s a clothing line and Tad’s got like nine pair. Show them off, Tad. So, Russ, if you see this, I’m losing to Tad. So, please send some good man shoes. I’m happy to pay. Uh, but uh it’ll be great to see him. Seriously, he has like six pairs. I’m getting pissed off. Seriously, Russ, I’m getting pissed off. Yeah, I am getting pissed off. And he and he brags about it every like, “Hey, you see, check them out.” I’m like, “Yeah, a couple more.” Yeah. No, no. Edward with WFAA. Um, going into your first game as a head coach, you had an unlimited amount of time since the Eagles were your first opponent. Now you’re playing your home opener, got a little extra time again. Does that help you as a head coach to have additional prep time? Well, number one, we’re looking forward to opening the season at home, you know, for the home opener. You know, I watched a little bit of their game yesterday. You know, I’m a football fan, Ed, so I’m going to watch, you know, game. I I kind of do the Red Zone channel. I like just kind of see what the league’s doing. Um but uh you know we’re we’re early in the parts of our preparation. I think they’re opponent we know pretty well you know having you know being another division game uh what you have to guard against is kind of overpreparing you know because there certainly when you’re in the new part of this year okay what’s Shane Bowen going to do differently than what he did last year and you know what’s you know Daves and CFA going to do different. Um, so this is one of those games where it’s kind of like you focus a little bit more on yourself and that’s kind of early season football like because it’s like, okay, they could do XYZ, but as long as we’re doing things that we believe in and things that we know we’re good at, that gives you a chance. Other question, um, as you were watching around the league yesterday, did you watch some Green Bay Lions? And if so, presuming you did, what did you think of Michael Parson’s impact early on? Uh, again, I I I I did see a little bit of the game. I was flipping back and forth and uh Green Bay looked good. Yeah, I saw him running around out there. Yeah. Yeah, he looked like he was having fun. That’s good. Todd, is uh Digs still on a ramp up or or is he good to go now? Who digs? Trayvon. Yeah, again, we’ll talk about Todd, but again, he did really well in the game and, you know, see how he does today and today’s a little bit more about just shaking the rust off. You know, we’ll get a little jump start on uh you know, the Giants and move around a little bit. These guys have had a couple days off, so shake the rust off a little bit, but I think he’ll be I think he’ll be pretty clear to play. He’s probably a guy that always kind of wants more than you give him. Always. Always. He loves playing football, man. And, you know, he’s really good at it. And um you know, I I I love seeing him uh I love seeing him smile at the game the other night. Looked like he was having a great time. And uh we played him in certain packages and uh it was great to see him out there. Kyle, Kyle, Capitalist TV coach, you you’ve always emphasized the need to be physical up front. What did you see from the offensive line and the tight end group being physical against a defensive front like Philly is specifically in the run game? Pad level was really good. Uh combination blocks were really good. You know, God, we we you know, wanted to use some misdirection against them because like I said, they’re not a very complicated defense. Talking about the Eagles, they’re not very complicated. they’re just really good. Um, so I thought u some of our combination blocks were really really good and then when they were moving they started blitzing and trying to move and they’re they’re pretty you know static in terms of what they do. I thought we blocked movement pretty well. Um and uh you know for the most part um you know there was a run down to the one yard line. I actually showed the group a little bit ago where it was probably a seven or eight yard run and it kind of got stalemated, but our guys coming behind and pushing the pile and and and finishing. We talk about competitive stamina all the time and they probably pushed the pile for another five or six yards. It wasn’t the tush push. It was uh during the course of a play, but uh it was cool to see those guys like, “Hey, keep playing, you know, keep playing. Play play to the echo the whistle.” Uh that was cool to see. Nick, for Kenny Clark, I know it’s probably impossible to get 100% acclimated in less than a week, but were were there a couple of plays that jumped to mind seeing the film on Thursday and being like, “Wow, that’s going to be his impact.” Oh, yeah. There’s a there’s a lot of them. Uh you guys can go find them. They’re pretty easy to find. Um yeah, just the strength he plays with, the play style that he plays with. Um yeah, he uh they were running a little uh duo play where he was getting singled and just the strength to hold the point of attack and the back was coming down the A gap and he was holding the the guard off with one hand and the back came and just the strength and the power and the pad level that he has to I think it was like a one- yard run. I mean just you see the strength and the power so disruptive and um I thought really we settled in the second half. Our our run fits were way better in the second half. Um, and then, uh, you know, but, uh, yeah, thrilled he’s here, man. He’s just an awesome teammate. I think I mentioned one of the times we’ve talked about just the way he plays the game. He’s just like this, man. It’s nothing new for him, you know? He’s uh, he’s been in playing high level football for a long time and, uh, love having him around as a teammate. Now, you back to calling plays. How much did you second guess yourself on when you did your own review of yourself in that game? Oh, there’s always one you second guess. Um, you know, I’m going to always be incredibly hard on myself. Um, and I do believe this. I’ll say it. I’ve called a lot of shitty plays in my career that worked out great. And I’ve called a lot of really good plays where I was like, “You guys, wait, this one’s going to be sweet.” And it’s like minus five. I’m like, “Damn, didn’t see that one happening.” Um, but what I will say to you is I’m very confident calling plays, not because of me, but because of the players that we have on this team. Did you leave anything on the call sheet from a game? And I know you talked about time of possession was an issue, too. No, I wouldn’t say because, you know, we have our must calls and I I felt like we got all those out there. Uh, you know, looking back at the game, I felt like in the fourth quarter there was um, you know, we were really good on third down all game and in the fourth quarter, three of our four third downs were 10 or more. So, I probably could have helped us get into more third down and manageable and different things affect that. But, um, you know, being self-critical, that’s an area that that that that I can do better. All righty. Thanks, guys. Russ, I mean it. Send me the shoes.

Head coach Brian Schottenheimer speaks with the media as the Cowboys turn their focus onto their Week 2 matchup against the New York Giants to discuss the team’s process wrapping up Week 1, emphasizing physicality and discipline, spotlights players Javonte Williams, Marshawn Kneeland, and more.

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