You would be hard-pressed to find a single Dallas Cowboys fan who approved of the Brian Schottenheimer hire.
A lot of the outrage can be attributed to the awful process by Jerry and Stephen Jones. The Cowboys missed out on interviewing the consensus "top" coaching candidates by dragging their feet on Mike McCarthy's future. And a lot of it had to do with both Schottenheimer's lack of head coaching experience and spotty track record as an offensive play-caller in the NFL.
Well, it's about time that Cowboys fans and the mainstream media issue an apology to Schottenheimer after Dallas' dominant road win over the Jets on Sunday.
Brian Schottenheimer has aced every test as Cowboys head coach
In a vacuum, beating the Jets is nothing to brag about. They're likely headed for a top-five pick in next year's draft.
However, the Cowboys were down four (!) starters on the offensive line, including their All-Pro left guard in Tyler Smith. They were also without their All-Pro receiver in CeeDee Lamb, their de facto No. 3 receiver in KaVontae Turpin, and their starting safety in Malik Hooker. That's a serious level of adversity, and yet Dallas absolutely dog-walked the Jets in their own backyard.
The result is one thing. Winning on the road in the NFL isn't easy. Doing so without several key contributors requires near-perfect execution and a clear mind.
The Cowboys' offense didn't skip a beat without Lamb and four/fifths of their offensive line. They hung 30 points on New York well before the fourth quarter after Dak Prescott and George Pickens connected for a 43-yard touchdown. They only scored seven points after that, but Schottenheimer clearly dialed it back, because why waste any more of your good plays? The offense could've hung a 50-burger if they didn't take their foot off the gas.
Schottenheimer deserved his flowers after the Packers tie. Everyone expected that game to be a massacre. The Cowboys were touchdown underdogs. And yet, they traded blows with one of the consensus best teams in football. They should've won.
That performance proved Dallas is in good hands with Schottenheimer, but it would've felt weird to anoint the 51-year-old after a tie. Again, beating the Jets isn't a crowning achievement by any stretch of the imagination, but five weeks in, it is beyond clear the Cowboys made the right hire.
Maybe the Joneses lucked into it. Maybe they saw something in Schottenheimer that others didn't. Whatever the case, the Cowboys have a coach. That feels great to say out loud.