Brian Schottenheimer was introduced as the 10th head coach in the history of the Dallas Cowboys on Monday. Jerry and Stephen Jones predictably made a mockery of themselves and the team, but Schottenheimer saved the day with some truly impressing soundbites.
Schottenheimer's money quote came thanks to team reporter Patrik Walker, who asked Schotty about potential changes he plans to make to the offense now that he'll be calling plays.
Schottenheimer said he's a big believer in tempo, cut splits, shifts and motions to confuse defenses. He wants the offense to play more up-tempo and put Dak Prescott under center more and incorporate more play action.
That is music to the ears of Cowboys fans. Mike McCarthy's offense save the second half of the 2023 season was far too simplistic and predictable.
It is understood that Schottenheimer, not McCarthy, was responsible for the tweaks during the bye week in 2023 that buoyed the offense to a strong finish. That might explain why the Cowboys gave Schottenheimer a handsome contract.
Brian Schottenheimer's contract details with the Cowboys disrespect Mike McCarthy
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Schottenheimer got a four-year contract. The details of Schottenheimer's salary have not been disclosed, but it stands to reason he is among the lowest-paid head coaches in the NFL given he's never been a head coach before.
However, the length of Schottenheimer's contract is the story here. It's understood that McCarthy wanted the security of a longer-term contract from Dallas.
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While McCarthy led the team to three-straight 12 win seasons - the first time that's happened since the 1990s - he managed just one playoff win in five years on the job. McCarthy was brought in to get the Cowboys over the hump. He didn't get the job done.
The Joneses lasting memory of their team in the playoffs was getting demolished at home by the Packers, who were among the youngest teams in the league and had a quarterback in Jordan Love who was in the midst of his first year as a starter.
While Dan Quinn deserved the biggest share of the blame pie, McCarthy's team was completely shell-shocked by the moment after failing down early.
It is admittedly hard to justify Schottenheimer getting a four-year contract given he has no track record as a head coach, but it would have been malpractice to force him to coach under the pressure of a two-year deal after moving on from McCarthy.
At the end of the day, his contract aligns with that of Dak Prescott, who signed a four-year, $240 million extension in September and had a disappointing year in McCarthy's offense before his hamstring injury.
Schotty and Prescott both think highly of each other. That is ultimately the most important relationship of this experiment, for lack of a better term. The success of the Schottenheimer Era hinges on maximizing Prescott.