Brian Schottenheimer: Going Through the Process | Dallas Cowboys 2025

Brian Schottenheimer: Going Through the Process | Dallas Cowboys 2025

Calvin so serious in here today. Calvin Watkins, Dallas Morning News. Tyler Gayton, is he still in uh concussion protocol? Uh he’s finishing it up. He had another exam uh probably right now and hopefully he’ll be out of it shortly. Sam B, is he in protocol? Yep. Everybody’s going through their steps and he is and uh I think everybody’s feeling better, but uh it’s a process as we know. How do you I think we asked you this last week. How do you deal with a starter hurt and a backup, you know, produces maybe beyond the expectations? How do you manage that when an injured player is kind of healthy, wants to come back? Yeah, I mean, again, I don’t I I’m a little bit old school. I don’t really think that you lose your job because of an injury. Uh but it also doesn’t guarantee that you’re going to stay the full-time starter. Um so again, it goes back the whole mantra of compete every day. And um but yeah, when guys come back off injuries, you know, they’re they’re going to get their spot back, but you do earn more opportunities if you’re a backup that goes in and performs well. Carell the LLS Cowboys, can you uh update us on anybody you expect back this week that hasn’t played few weeks? There’s guys moving around better. Um I think as the week goes, there’s a few guys that we might be able to get back. Um, but it’s hit and miss. You know, today’s a day that you’ll probably see more guys on the grass, but being on the grass doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re cleared to play. So, there’s a process, you know, that they go through, Clarence, where, you know, it’s with, you know, the trainers and then they do some more on the grass and then they move into mocks and then they move into practice. But, uh, we are getting healthier. Um, but, uh, to the extent of it, I’m not going to share that at this point. Do we start Rebels window yet or are we still waiting on that as well? Uh, still taking our time with that. you know, young player, very talented player, and uh just like with all the guys that we have to make these decisions on, we’re going to be very selective with that because it does put you in a time frame where you have to make a decision, you know, in three weeks. And um but I really like what he’s doing. Another guy that’s out there on the grass doing a lot of good things. You know, uh you’ve shown some accountability with players. Uh obviously mentioned Diggs a couple of weeks ago for the first couple of series and last week you made some changes with with with uh Elum. Do you talk to players about that? How do you hold them accountable? Let them know, hey, this is what’s best for the team and we’re just going to put the best player we think of. How you handling those type of things? Yeah, I I I try to get to each player. I think it’s important. Um if for some reason I don’t. The position coach definitely does. Um but in those cases, you have real conversations. I think the player deserves to understand why the decisions being made and um it’s our job to explain to them. And it’s nothing that’s, you know, you know, I hate the word, you know, benching. Uh, to me, it’s more about giving someone else another opportunity. You know, letting somebody that’s competed well at a high level go do that. You know, these players don’t necessarily get benched. It’s they’re held accountable. But the communication piece is very important to me just because I think they deserve to know and that’s our job to have those hard conversations. Brian Todd with ESPN. You’ve talked before how Clayton Adams was a guy that you had noticed before and how did he get on your radar? Was there someone that you worked with or you just were watching Arizona film? Like how did that all No, it goes back to Indianapolis. Uh when he was a tight end coach in Indianapolis, I knew some guys on that staff that just, you know, when you’re making your phone calls over the summer, which is what I do because I don’t have other than hang with my family. Much much better to do than check in and see who some of the coaches are that maybe you don’t know. And yeah, his name came up and they just said, you know, turn on the film. Uh I coached a guy by the name of Jack Doyle when I was in Indianapolis. And uh Jack raved about Clayton and um so he kind of came on my radar and then when I got a chance to spend some time with him, we played the Colts what I think the year I was a consultant. We played them and so I met him before the game and we just kind of you know tried to do that. I’m I’m not a big pregame talker but you know he was a guy I actually looked for. I wanted to go say hello and introduce myself and um we just kind of stayed in touch after that. And then um switching topics, third straight year you guys have played the Panthers. What help? What benefit is that in terms of preparation maybe on both sides of the ball? Yeah, I mean I think you know you you know some of the people I think you know I know the staff there very well. I hold them all in high regard having been with Dave Canalis and Pat McFersonson, Will Herager, Brad Izzy. You know I’ve competed against Euro a bunch. Um you know uh I see them playing with a lot of confidence right now. Uh I see them playing very well at home. I think they’re two and0 at home. Um you know they got Derrick Brown back on defense. So, um, familiarity on both sides, but as you guys all know, it’s going to come down to how we both perform on Sunday afternoon and, um, but Dave, you know, has them playing with a lot of confidence. John Michelle with the Athletic, uh, while talking about you after the game, Dak said, uh, when you get to game day, he talks about playing free and being loose, and he’s the epitome of that. If you want to see somebody who’s enjoying the moment, it’s shotty. Uh, so just kind of where do you think that comes from, and why do you think that’s important? Um, the reason I laugh is because I think some of the things I say, uh, I tend to sing songs sometimes, you know, when I’m out there. Um, I told Dak in the third quarter, I said, “Yeah, I suck right now, but I’ll come back.” And then we hit the big play to pickings and I said, “Hey, I’m back.” Um, you know, look, I I’ve always talked about how blessed I am and just to be in this position just to be coaching in the NFL and then, uh, to be leading these young men, you know, so there’s stressful moments for sure. You know, uh, you ask the the guys that coach with me and play with play for me. Um, I’ve got a temper, but I try to keep it loose and light and, uh, I like to have fun with it. You’ve been obviously other stops, other teams. Is there maybe some even more importance to have something like that with the Dallas Cowboys? Because there is always so much going on. They are a team that’s always in the spotlight. There is a lot of uh drama and things that that come with it that maybe that helps. You know, John, I don’t know. Uh I don’t really know. Um, I never look at this as like, you know, maybe because I was a 32year-old, 33y old coordinator in New York and we were doing hard knocks and you I was trying to find my way, you know, leading men and I’m coaching Brett Favre who’s 40 years old. So, I I don’t look at it that way. I think it’s important. I think it’s how you should approach playing this game. You know, you all you can do is overtry. I mean, you can truly go out there and because it’s so important that, hey, you know, we’re playing, you know, um, the Seahawks and man, I got to show them. They should have never fired me in 20, you know, 20 and I’m going to show them and you mess up, you know, because you’re trying too hard. You put the work in during the week, you get the preparation done. You get the players to feel confident and then you go out on game day and you just you just let it rip, man. You just let it let it go. And I think that’s how you handle the ups and downs like, you know, of of this game. And I mean I was tired. The players were tired after Sunday. The emotions of it up and the downs and the you know it’s like a game where you feel like we had the game in hand most of the time but like there’s constantly things going on and I think really you know trying to get these guys to understand to play free and relax is the best way to go out there and be the best version of yourself. Nick Harris for Star Telegram. Do you remember that summer conversation who it was with that pointed you Clayton Adams? Um, might have been Chris Ballard. I I don’t I know I talked to a number of people in the building. Um, I don’t remember per se. Um, Matt Turpin was a guy I know I talked to about Clayton. Um, he’s a big personnel guy there. Um, but it’s usually multiple people. I mean, I usually get the name from two or three people before I ever pick up the phone and call. And it’s probably weird like um, you know, hey, Brian Shottimer. How you doing? Nice to meet you. Hey, just wanted to talk to you. I mean like but that’s the type of guy I am. I you know I cold call people all the time. And then going into the interview process was that kind of your your focus? Was it Clayton Adams or was it really like okay let’s look at these couple of guys and Clayton showed up? No I mean again I wanted I wanted to get Clayton in front of you know the staff. I wanted to get Clayton in front of Jerry. Uh I think it you know and Stephen I think it helps that you know Mattie Refuse was a huge proponent of Clayton. They had been together. You know Tyler Boles my chief of staff was with him. Um, but no, I mean it was a very open search. Um, and then when Clayton came in here along with a couple of the other guys, I think he did a great job of kind of separating himself and he fit the the he fit what we were looking for. How long did it take for him to really settle in, do you think? And once once he arrived on the job, was it? Um, no. I don’t think it’s ever quick. I think uh it takes time. You know, it’s no different than me sitting in this chair. It takes time. Um, but I will say this. I think, you know, over the past six, eight weeks, you know, since we’ve gotten back to Dallas, I think he’s really finding his flow. Like I said, he does an incredible job with the staff of delegating and doing different things. He’s great in front of the room. He’s a little bit like me that, you know, John was talking about. He’s he’s a a loose guy that likes to have a good time. And I’ve told you guys, you know, you need to go take him to go get drinks. He’s he’s he’s just a incredible personality. He’s funny as anything. and uh the players kind of feed off of them. Back. Hey, coach. Patrick Walker, Dallas cowboys.com. JC Horn, he was a guy that the Cowboys had some pre-draft interest in. Can you just talk about the the challenges of going against him and why he makes it so difficult on the opposing receiver? Yeah. Well, first of all, I mean, I know his dad. Joe Horn played for my dad and I was on the staff as a young QC when when Joe was there and uh so really, you know, love Joe and he’s obviously done a great job mentoring, you know, JC and yeah, just dynamic coverage skills. I mean, really, he’s competitive, uh, very confident, great transition. Um, I can see why the Cowboys and a lot of teams coveted him. Uh, I think he’s playing at a high level. um you know with the way he um not only covers but the way he tackles. He’s an excellent blitzer. You know he got free on us last year in a game. A little corner blitz you know on third down that we misided. And um yeah there’s a there’s a lot to like. All right Joe Joe Hoy Dallas Morning News. What does marrying the run and the pass mean to you and where does that philosophy come from? Uh, marrying the run in the past means that, you know, there’s no scouting giveaways. There’s no tells. There’s no where, hey, if we’re in the gun, we’re throwing it. If we’re under, we’re running it. If we’re in, you know, two by two with both edges closed, it’s 85% run. You know, runs that we have in the game, we’re going to have action passes off of that and vice versa. Um, and I think that’s what, you know, there’s so much technology now, Joe, in terms of our ability to get information that everyone, the coaches give it to the players, the players have it. Um, that if you don’t do that, you are battling uphill because they’re obviously all very, very talented players, very intelligent, great coaches. If you don’t do that, then in my opinion, there’s going to be a handful of plays in a game, which every play matters, that the defense is predicting or the offense is predicting what you’re going to do. And so, um, you know, I think, you know, we actually have people that that’s all they do. Hey, tell us about this. Some of it’s analytics, some of them are coaches. I won’t get into specifics of it, but like they literally are looking for trends and then we’re going to break those trends because if you break those trends early in games, for example, in the openers, then what the players say is, “Okay, that doesn’t hold up.” So, I remember playing San Francisco and Fred Warner, I’ll go I’ll go Carolina, Luke Keequley. I mean, the guy’s one of the best to ever do it in terms of diagnosing things and having tails. And Russ coming off the bench or coming off the bench and be like, “Yeah, he’s calling out every play.” Like, literally, he’s calling out every play. I was like, “What do you mean?” He’s like, “He’s calling out every play. Trap here, three three-step there.” And so I think the guys that overdo the studying, you can use as an advantage because otherwise you’re playing into their hands. And then TJ Baz and Brock Hoffman are ne they’re really close. They locker roommates. One’s quiet, one’s loud. Um, one wears face paint, one doesn’t. Yeah. One talks trash to everybody and one doesn’t. Yeah. Their relationship obviously, how much does that help when they because they’ve been called upon a lot at the same time. How much does that relationship help them to be called upon together? Yeah, I think, you know, it goes back to the fact that they’ve practiced together a lot. I mean, I talk a lot about Brock, so I’m going to talk about TJ for a second. I mean, TJ’s a guy that we really love coming out of Oregon, uh, played tackle there. Um, he is an extremely talented football player that at times, you know, he kind of he early on as a player, he wasn’t a great practice player. And you guys know how important practice is to me. And there’s been times I’ve literally had to kick him in the butt and be like, “Come on, man. You got to go. Come on. We need more from you in practice.” But, um, he’s really grown. He’s really matured. You watch him practice now and he’s you see the intentionality. You see how important it is to him. And, um, he is playing at a high level. But, uh, it goes back to the relationships. It goes back to the culture. It goes back to the connection. I mean, every Thursday night, these guys go to dinner together and the quarterbacks go and tight ends come sometimes. And I think, uh, who bought last week? I think it was BB or maybe Brock. Um, but like you know that’s what we want these guys to do and those two guys have a very special relationship. Skyler Scott Dixon with BAP. Calvin was asking earlier about backups shining and what that means for the starters coming back. I wondered as a play caller at receiver obviously a good problem to have. you got guys emerging and older guys emerging, but when you’re calling plays in a game and I know that the game day roster limits the numbers, but can you get yourself kind of too tied up in trying to get all those guys involved or is it pretty easy to just kind of not worry about um I don’t really call plays, you know, to try to get a ball um to a spot on the field. I call plays to get balls to people. um you know like the big third down the first third down game that Florenoi you know caught that was designed to get him the ball you know that was the design it was the first progression um now was I wasn’t predicting he was going to catch it and pull away and pull out of the first tackle and go down there and do that that caught me by surprise in a good way um another touch for Flo because I’m assume that’s who you’re talking about was you know we’re in two-minute we’re going fast and we got him to jump and so free play response means everybody goes deep and you take your shot and so I mean incredible catch. You know, Dak put in a spot where he could get it. He had the power to step inside of the corner and um but um you’re always going to feature your quote unquote elite players. We’ve got a lot of elite players, but um again, I’m going to say this about Dak. What Dak’s doing an incredible job of right now is he’s just reading progressions and the first open guy is going to get the ball and I think that’s what we’re seeing. Babe Babe Blber 1053 the fan Cowboys radio. So Brian, no matter how hard one works, there’s only so much time in the day. And I’m sure when you’re a coordinator and play caller, not a head coach, you thought, man, I I don’t have an extra 10 minutes in my day. Now you’re doing all that. And you’ve got the media, you’ve got everything else you’re dealing with. So, have you uh come to a a a good place where your allocation of time is divided the way you want it or are you still kind of learning how to allocate your time? I think you’re always learning, babe. I mean, I think I am better. Um I think that was something that Jerry and I talked about very frankly. I think it was just the two of us actually before he offered me the job is he was obviously concerned about that. Okay. you’ve never been a head coach. How are you going to do this? And I again went back to some of my strengths and that’s my ability to um communicate and you know allocate things to people I trust. Why was Ryan Feeder such an important hire for me? Because I knew I could hand off the game management stuff and not have to be stressed about it. I would hear his voice. Why was Clayton Adams such an important hire for me? I knew I wouldn’t have to sit in every run game meeting. Why was Matt Eberflu such an important hire for me? I knew that the defense would be, you know, a wellthoughtout scheme with the principles that I believe in and things like that. But I think you’re always learning. Um, you know, I don’t sleep a whole lot anyways. Um, probably need to. My wife actually said to me yesterday, I looked tired. Uh, I said that’s okay. I I’ll get through it. But, um, I do think a strength of mine is using the people that I’ve hired because I believe in them. Um, I’m going to hold them accountable and if there’s things I don’t like, they’ll know about it. But, uh, I do think that the staff was built the right way. Um, because I knew that I couldn’t be in every room at every point in time. Nick Sornson, another guy I should have mentioned. I mean, I trust Nick, you know, I’m not in every special teams meeting. I can’t. I’m with quarterbacks. Uh, so you have to trust your your the people you hire and let them do their jobs. Garrett Garrett, CBS Sports. Brian, you mentioned that trust in Clayton. Why do you trust him to have kind of full autonomy over the run game given it’s his first year as an OC? I’ve seen him do it. You know, I’ve again, you got to remember now we sat here in the spring from 7 a.m. till 11:00 at night building this thing. And there was really hard conversations. And there were things I was like, “Yep, I like that. It makes perfect sense.” And there’s things I’m like, “Nope, I would never call that.” And um he was he’s very humble in a good way. I think you have to be as a coordinator for a offensive-minded head coach. Um, but man, Garrett, we’ve had so many, you know, real conversations and, you know, I know about him as a husband and a father with his beautiful girls and their soccer careers and things like that. We don’t just talk about football. If all you do as a coach is talk about football, then you’re fooling yourself because you’re not going to get people to buy into what you’re doing. And then when you have to jump people’s asses, which I do probably at times, my wife says too much, then uh they’re going to push back and and and that’s never a good thing. But uh yeah, I mean he and I have had a lot of great football conversations, a lot of great conversations about life, and that’s why I trust him. What’s the conversation like slowing down someone like Rico D, NFC offensive player that we went for 200 last? Yeah, it’s hard. Rico’s a a really skilled runner. He’s got great vision. He runs hard. You know, the guys that have been around, which we’ve got a ton of new faces. They don’t realize the power that he has. Um, you know, Rico was a guy that, you know, we considered keeping and we kind of fell in love with Javvante. Were we right? I don’t know. Javvante’s doing great. Rico’s doing great. Uh, but, uh, the Carolina Panthers are a damn good run team and that’s not just because of Rico. It’s because of their offensive line. But um I’m I’m proud of Rico Tommy St. Cowboys.com. Going back to the third straight year playing Carolina, where have you seen Bryce Young improve year by year? Just where he’s gone year by year. Yeah. Um more comfortable and I think, you know, here’s a guy had a a first time head coach, not a first time, first year head coach get fired and then new play caller took over his first year. Went from Frank Reich to Thomas Brown, uh who TV is a really good friend of mine, good coach. He’s in New England now. uh to Dave coming in and then you know uh Brad Idzik and you know Dave being the play car he’s more comfortable I mean you know I think anytime we talk about bringing the team back where they down 17 I think nothing last week against Miami uh to be able to go and do that that’s uh that’s growth and that’s maturity and that’s something that he’ll pull from and the guys will have confidence you know T McMillan was a great draft pick you guys know we loved T had had some love for him um they’re using you know Hunter Renfro the right way in my opinion on third down. He’s very active in the way they target him. And um they’ve got a stable of backs. I mean, it’s not just Rico. I mean, Hubard’s a great player. ETN’s a great player. Uh they know how to run it. I mean, their run game systems been in place for a while around the league going back to Tampa Bay with uh their line coaches and um there’s a commitment there to run the football, which it’s no surprise Dave came from Seattle, Pete Carroll. Well, he better be able to run the football. All righty. Thanks, guys.

Head coach Brian Schottenheimer speaks with media before Wednesday’s practice to provide injury updates, players that might be able to return this week vs. Carolina, his process of personnel changes during a game, and more.

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