The Cowboys have fulfilled their goal of hiring a head coach for the team, following the departure of Mike McCarthy. Jerry Jones, the owner, general manager and president, elected to hire Brian Schottenheimer, which he calls “As big a risk as you can take. No head-coaching experience.”

The decision has confused and shocked fans and commentators of the sport. After weeks of rumors of Deion “Primetime” Sanders possibly taking the role, Jones decided to elect someone who was already close with the team from a role on staff. 

Schottenheimer, who first started working for the National Football League back in 1997 as the Los Angeles Rams’ assistant, has assumed many roles in his time in the league since. However, Schottenheimer has absolutely no experience as head coach, and has only attained positions as either an assistant or offensive coordinator. An offensive coordinator is vastly responsible for how an offense operates: they call and design plays for the team by examining the opposition’s defense, and have the expertise to change a play based on their analysis. They also collaborate with the head coach to strategize plays.  

He served as the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator for the last two years. But here’s one caveat: McCarthy, head coach at the time, was calling all the plays. Meaning, Schottenheimer didn’t have much input. So despite him having this major role for two years, he doesn’t actually have much effective experience.

Now, shocking as it may be, Stephen A. Smith, notorious critic of the entire Cowboys organization, called Jones out on this decision pretty well.

“Brian Schottenehimer didn’t even call plays for your Dallas Cowboys team last year and you hired him as your head coach because somebody else that may have been more qualified…more capable would’ve been too much for [Jones] to share,” Smith said on his talk show “First Take.” 

As a lifelong Cowboys fan, it’s hard to agree with Smith’s takes, but you have to acknowledge that Jones seems to be a bit reckless with the organization. This is a huge and risky move, and no one knows how it will fare for the team. 

It may not be all bad, though. Schottenheimer claimed in his introductory press conference that he and quarterback Dak Prescott have a great relationship. Hopefully that’s true, because after a half-season filled with interceptions and an extensive recovery to his injury, he really needs someone to light a fire in him. As I’ve mentioned before, though, the whole offense needs a reworking. All I can do is hope Schottenheimer lives up to his claims.

Schottenheimer has also talked about his experience with legendary Seattle Seahawks’ coach Pete Carroll, whom he worked alongside as the offensive coordinator from 2018-2020. He says that that experience was “critical to my development as a coach” and will help him to navigate this lofty new role. In his time with the Seahawks, the team finished sequentially sixth, ninth and eighth in the league. Carroll’s crowning accomplishment is leading the team to a Super Bowl in 2013. (By the way, the Cowboys haven’t won a divisional playoff game since they won the Super Bowl in 1995, and the taunt of being ‘first-round exits’ in the playoffs, when they even make it there, is frightening and true.)

The rookie head coach has a lot of moving parts to work with, including evaluating the defense. Linebackers are especially concerning ever since DeMarvion Overshown went out with his brutal injury and Eric Kendricks becoming a free agent. I can’t overstate how important these two players are on defense: every time a key tackle is made, it seems to be by one of them (or, obviously, Micah Parsons). My biggest hope is that Schottenheimer and the Cowboys organization utilize the draft to make some changes to the roster, because the team desperately needs more offensive targets to catch the ball. We can’t keep running the Prescott lobs to CeeDee Lamb when we’re in trouble. We need other targets who are big-time playmakers.

Besides all the negative attention, the organization remains adamant that their goal is the same: to make it to the Super Bowl. 

“We’re going to win. And we’re going to win a championship,” Schottenheimer said. “Otherwise, why are we doing it?”

How far does delusion take a sports team? This upcoming season, I guess we’ll find out.