(Editor's Note: Time to check the mail! The DallasCowboys.com staff writers answer your questions here in 'Mailbag' presented by Miller Lite.)
There has been a lot of talk about the risk in hiring Brian Schottenheimer, but how is this any riskier than, say, the Bears hiring Ben Johnson, who also doesn't have any head coaching experience? If anything, this seems like the safe, comfortable pick for the Cowboys, which, to be honest, I'm not sure is such a good thing. Could they have used more of a shakeup? – Adam Cartwright/Houston, TX
Mickey: Well, my first question then to you Adam, who would you like to have hired as the next head coach? I think you need to read the entire quote from Jerry Jones when he spoke about "risk." Here you go: "This was risky. This is risky. But by the same token, how often can you take a risk when someone has had over 30, almost 30 years, getting my numbers mixed up, but almost 30 years of being around coaches, of being around players. That's two thirds of his life. And then the rest of it growing up in a football-oriented, NFL-oriented family, if you will. I think this might make something special."
Well, before this injury-riddled season, losing your starting QB, not having your Pro Bowl receiver up to speed for the start of the season, how much would you have shaken things up after three consecutive 12-5 seasons? Going into 2024 the Cowboys had the second most wins (36) in the NFL over those three years, just one less than Kansas City (37). Don't take that for granted, the Cowboys best three-year run since the 36 wins from 1993-95. There is something to be said for continuity, especially on offense. At the end, if shaking things up promotes good health, then I'm all for it.
Tommy: I think every head coaching hire is a risk to some degree. Sometimes, you don't know how the locker room is going to react, you don't know how the scheme will translate, etc.
In the Cowboys case, you know you're getting a strong leader who will build a strong culture within the locker room. What you don't know is how Brian Schottenheimer handles play calling with this team, manages the clock, etc. So yes, it is a risk, but so is each and every hire of this year's coaching carousel.
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