FRISCO, Texas – Let's see, seems to be open season on the Cowboys. The piling on has become the newest national rage.
Whatever they do and however they do it, well, it's wrong, and well before any results are established. No factual reasons, just that's it's the Cowboys and Jerry Jones.
Latest example being the hiring of Brian Schottenheimer as the 10th head coach in the franchise's now starting 66-season history. The criticism is nearly universal. Print media. Electronic media. Radio entertainers. Social opinionators wishing they were considered media.
And the disgruntled fans.
The past continues to haunt the Cowboys, their failures since winning three Super Bowls in four years from 1992-95 but not a one since. We know the facts facing a franchise that had won five Super Bowls in the first 30-year history of the Super Bowl, though having advanced to the "ultimate game" three other times and two more to the NFL Championship in the first two years of the Super Bowl era.
But nothing to show for within the next 29, the latest being played on Feb. 9 in New Orleans. The Chiefs, eyeing their third consecutive Super Bowl title, vs. the Eagles, appearing in their second Super Bowl in three years and trying to win their second Super Bowl in franchise history.
Not even an NFC title game appearance in the past 29 seasons for the Cowboys, posting just a 5-13 playoff record since winning that Super Bowl XXX in the 1995 season. And maybe giving license to this bashing still is after the 12-5 NFC East title season of 2023, earning the No. 2 seed, they lost, 48-32, in the wild-card round to the No. 7 seed Packers. Green Bay has vanquished the Cowboys' playoffs efforts in four of the seven times they have met, going back to those consecutive losses in the 1966-67 NFL title games for the right to play in Super Bowl I and II.
The history is their burden, and the latest playoff loss to end the 2023 season the blackeye head coach Mike McCarthy couldn't overcome, despite those three consecutive 12-5 seasons, ultimately after an injury-riddled 7-10 season in 2024 getting in the way of an extension after five years with the Cowboys.
Enter Schottenheimer 11 days later when owner Jerry Jones and McCarthy couldn't come to an agreement on the length of a potential extension.
So here it came. The Cowboys criticized for only interviewing four legitimate candidates. Come on, the Bears and Jets interviewed like 15 candidates, although guarantee you they both knew exactly who they were going to hire well before going through that dog and pony show. After all, the Jets began researching for a new head coach right after firing Robert Saleh after five games (2-3). Been reported they even hired a personnel search firm to begin the process. Don't tell me one day after the Lions were eliminated from the playoffs that they instantly brought on Detroit defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn as the head coach. Come on, agents were working behind the scenes there, and also with the Bears hiring the Lions' offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson.
Those two guys combine for zero years of head coaching experience, Johnson just three years as an offensive coordinator for the first time, Glenn after four on defense.
Yet the screams clamored out loud over the Cowboys' hiring Schottenheimer without any head coaching experience, even though his résumé includes 14 years as an offensive coordinator, if we count his one season at the University of Georgia.
The 51-year-old Schottenheimer has coached 25 seasons in the NFL on the staffs of his father Marty Schottenheimer, Jeff Fisher, Pete Carroll, Dick Vermeil, Paul Hackett and McCarthy. Three of those guys won Super Bowls and a fourth (Fisher) got his Tennessee team to the Super Bowl. Why, the guy even played his college ball at Florida under Steve Spurrier.
And as previously pointed out, was born mere months before daddy Marty broke into the coaching ranks.
Think by osmosis Schottenheimer might have learned a thing or two about this NFL game? About offense, he's coached along the way in various positions on teams with quarterbacks the likes of Drew Brees, Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson, Mark Sanchez, Carson Palmer, Rich Gannon, Trevor Lawrence, Sam Bradford and the past two with Dak Prescott.
So for all the boo-birds out there, the vocal critics on this hire, then tell me this:
Who did you want the Cowboys to hire? Come on, give me the name.
Telling you, Johnson and Glenn were done deals, and if it was Glenn, then who would be the offensive coordinator that would have made you happy. Like Tanner Engstrand, just hired off the Lions staff to lead the Jets offense, last a coordinator for the DC Defenders. Boy, that would have gone over well around here.
Had the Cowboys hired Carroll, they would have been criticized for bringing in a retread, and not only that, talking a guy turning 74 in Week 2 of the 2025 NFL season.
See, when hiring a head coach, teams don't have carte-blanche ability to hire whoever they want. As continue to say, need and availability must meet in the middle. There just wasn't an available head coach just sitting there, unless Jerry could have talked Nick Saban off the cushy ESPN College GameDay set. Like, what college head coach would you have hired? Or afforded their buyouts?
The Cowboys didn't just settle for Schotty. The more they considered, the better taking that shot appealed to them. Getting an experienced NFL hand as a head coach, and on top of that the new offensive coordinator and play-caller. Plus, add in a guy who will work his tush off to become successful with his first head coach opportunity after all these years without a push from behind.
And will say it again: Schotty arrives with the blessings of Dak Prescott. And look, knowing Dak, he's not just giving lip service to this hire when he told me, "Schotty means a lot to me." And don't underestimate the familiarity and continuity aspect of this hire. 'Tis meaningful.
The Cowboys did not just pick Schottenheimer's name out of a hat. And guarantee you all along he and the Cowboys knew they were going to bring in Matt Eberflus as his defensive coordinator, thus taking care of the two most important staff positions.
The point of all this is:
Give the guy a chance before piling on the Cowboys based on past history, which, by the way – and I know, I know, minus the lack of playoff success that never will be extracted from the conversation – over the past 11 seasons, meaning 2014-24, they have posted seven winning years, three losing ones (all connected to losing their starting quarterback) and one at 8-8.
Their overall regular season record is 105-75, a .583 winning percentage that includes five NFC East titles and three seconds, and two wins short of tying the Eagles for the seventh most in the NFL during that span. Of course, the Chiefs are tops with 132, that's 20 more than the 112 of the Steelers and Packers, tied for second most. McCarthy was responsible for 43 of those Packers wins, and 49 of the Cowboys' 11-year total, Jason Garrett the other 56.
Schottenheimer has paid his dues, pounding the pavement to follow in dad Marty's head coaching footsteps. Now he gets his chance, 52 years after Marty began his coaching career as linebackers coach for the Portland Storm of the World Football League.
Jerry will tell you he didn't just walk down one floor and across the hallway to name Schottenheimer the head coach. Said he called Spurrier. Said he called Carroll. "Got into it real good," beyond the in-person interview.
Jerry compared this to what Will McClay and his staff do researching draft choices. They don't just talk to the player or the coaches. They go to the strength and conditioning coaches. They go to the athletic trainers. Probably the equipment guys, too.
"Will and his staff, they go to the next door neighbors of these players that we're drafting or look at drafting and get that next door neighbor to talk about them at that time," Jerry said. "Boy, you need to do that when you're dealing with the head coach.
"Now, I didn't have to go to the next-door neighbor with Jimmy, I didn't have to go to the next-door neighbor with Barry. But man, I've been to this guy's next-door neighbor personally – personally. And I like out shot with Schotty."
Just sayin', give the guy a chance.
