Why Brian Schottenheimer to the Cowboys Is Looking Better Than Anticipated

The Cowboys recently replaced former head coach Mike McCarthy with offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. It was a shock to the NFL world and a major disappointment to the fans of the Cowboys. To hire a coordinator who did not call the plays and has never been considered for a head coaching job seems as risky as it can get. The other side of complaints from fans and the media is that Schottenheimer will be easily controlled by the Jones family, thus allowing this same cycle of failure to continue. However, despite the complaints and worries heading into next season, there are two reasons why Schottenheimer can become a better coach than expected.

Culture

In Schottenheimer's time as the offensive coordinator in Dallas, he spent a lot of time building relationships with Dak Prescott and the entire team. He was the bridge that was connecting Mike McCarthy and the Dallas offense. Schottenheimer, like his father, Marty Schottenheimer, has a special way to connect with players. Being able to connect to players is a role better suited for a head coach than an offensive coordinator. Schottenheimer might not be a Dan Campbell, but he is certainly suited to be a CEO coach of a football team. He is keen on creating a strong culture in Dallas and has the personality to do it.

New Staff 

Schottenheimer has started to build an impressive staff so far. The first hire was the return of Matt Eberflus as the new defensive coordinator. Eberflus had respectable defenses in his time as coach of the Chicago Bears, creating turnovers and being able to keep the Bears in games with defense. The new offensive coordinator, Klayton Adams, is also an exciting signing for Dallas. Adams, in his time with the Arizona Cardinals, was able to turn their offensive line into an elite offensive line, allowing the fifth least amount of sacks last season. Adams was also the catalyst for the Cardinals, having been the third-best rushing team in the past two seasons. The Cowboys were even able to retain and get highly sought-after position coaches. They were able to keep tight ends coach Lunda Wells, who was heavily recruited by other teams to leave the Cowboys. Dallas was also able to sign Aaron Whitecotton, defensive line coach of the Jets, for the past four seasons. Whitecotton, in his four years with the Jets, was able to create a formidable defensive line with players such as Quinnen Williams. Even though there is a lot of worry about Schottenheimer's start in Dallas, he is set up to have one of the best staff in recent Cowboys memory.