The Dallas Cowboys‘ locker room loves them some Brian Schottenheimer. It turns out the man who spent most of his time in the background during the Mike McCarthy administration is beloved by the players he now leads. Since naming Schottenheimer as the next head coach earlier in January, report after report has surfaced how much players support the hire.
For as comforting as it seems to get such a ringing endorsement from the players, it’s not very different from what they said about the last head coach in Dallas. McCarthy too was a beloved figure on the team. Players went to bat for McCarthy, even calling for him to come back on a new deal and “on his terms.”
None of that came to fruition and the McCarthy era is officially over. It’s a tenure remembered for fielding some of the most talented Cowboys teams assembled since the glory days of the 1990s. It will also be remembered for having some of the most disappointing postseason finishes in team history where strategy and preparedness were repeatedly called into question.
But the players loved McCarthy and for whatever it’s worth, they seem to like Schottenheimer just as much.
“We have the guy we want,” Osa Odighizuwa said of his new head coach. “The team, the locker room loves Schotty. I think that’s part of where it starts. He’s a smart guy. And just that he is, he’s a good dude.
“He’s the kind of coach that you can run through a wall for”
Not to be too reductive but in the NFL, there has long been two types of coaches. There’s been the disciplinarian type and there’s been the player-friendly coach. The disciplinarian is aptly named. He’s the type who rules with an iron fist. He’s not there to make friends, he’s there to squeeze the very best from his team. The Cowboys have only had a few of these coaches over the years but they’ve been wildly successful. Tom Landry, Jimmy Johnson and Bill Parcells stand out as the most prominent disciplinarians Dallas has had at head coach.
The first two led their teams to multiple championships. The latter turned a wayward franchise around.
Player-friendly coaches are seeking the same goals as the disciplinarians but taking a much different approach to getting there. They’re more mentor and comrade than father figure or boss. They typically take a more positive angle and communicate as peers rather than authority figures. They make players want to perform out of love and respect and are understandably appreciated for it. Disciplinarian coaches are more often feared. For them the love and respect come years later. Sometimes, never at all.
Once upon a time player-friendly coaches were few and far between. It was Tony Dungy against the world. Nowadays the NFL is full of player-friendly coaches. Disciplinarians are a dying breed. It’s not hard to see the majority of the Cowboys’ success came when disciplinarians were at the helm. Barry Switzer won a Super Bowl being player-friendly but let’s be real, he was dealt a winning hand. The nice guys haven’t fared too well in Dallas over the years.
Luckily for the Cowboys, the NFL isn’t about personality types or leadership strategies anymore. It’s about X’s and O’s. For as much as we want to believe the lovefest for Schottenheimer matters for this team, it’s fairly inconsequential. Love him or hate him, it all comes down to how he out-schemes his opponents.
Motivation is overrated. Accountability, while necessary to a degree, is also overrated. By the time players are in the NFL they should be motivated and disciplined on their own. Parcells certainly thought so. Where coaches earn their money now is by outsmarting the opposing coach in the playoffs.
When was the last time it felt like the Cowboys had the advantage there?
That’s rhetorical because it might not be in the current century.
Schottenheimer’s success isn’t tied to players liking him or not. It comes down to his ability to draw up smart plays in a timely and deceptive manner. Plays which his players can execute, and plays that either catch opponents off guard or target weaknesses. The common denominator among playoff teams these days is intelligent coaches. It’s the golden age of brainiacs and the Cowboys need Schottenheimer to be what previous player-friendly coaches were not.
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Brian Schottenheimer’s success with Cowboys won’t hinge on being liked
The Dallas Cowboys‘ locker room loves them some Brian Schottenheimer. It turns out the man who spent most of his time in the background during the Mike McCarthy administration is beloved by the players he now leads. Since naming Schottenheimer as the next head coach earlier in January, report after report has surfaced how much players support the hire.
For as comforting as it seems to get such a ringing endorsement from the players, it’s not very different from what they said about the last head coach in Dallas. McCarthy too was a beloved figure on the team. Players went to bat for McCarthy, even calling for him to come back on a new deal and “on his terms.”
None of that came to fruition and the McCarthy era is officially over. It’s a tenure remembered for fielding some of the most talented Cowboys teams assembled since the glory days of the 1990s. It will also be remembered for having some of the most disappointing postseason finishes in team history where strategy and preparedness were repeatedly called into question.
But the players loved McCarthy and for whatever it’s worth, they seem to like Schottenheimer just as much.
“We have the guy we want,” Osa Odighizuwa said of his new head coach. “The team, the locker room loves Schotty. I think that’s part of where it starts. He’s a smart guy. And just that he is, he’s a good dude.
“He’s the kind of coach that you can run through a wall for”
Not to be too reductive but in the NFL, there has long been two types of coaches. There’s been the disciplinarian type and there’s been the player-friendly coach. The disciplinarian is aptly named. He’s the type who rules with an iron fist. He’s not there to make friends, he’s there to squeeze the very best from his team. The Cowboys have only had a few of these coaches over the years but they’ve been wildly successful. Tom Landry, Jimmy Johnson and Bill Parcells stand out as the most prominent disciplinarians Dallas has had at head coach.
The first two led their teams to multiple championships. The latter turned a wayward franchise around.
Player-friendly coaches are seeking the same goals as the disciplinarians but taking a much different approach to getting there. They’re more mentor and comrade than father figure or boss. They typically take a more positive angle and communicate as peers rather than authority figures. They make players want to perform out of love and respect and are understandably appreciated for it. Disciplinarian coaches are more often feared. For them the love and respect come years later. Sometimes, never at all.
Once upon a time player-friendly coaches were few and far between. It was Tony Dungy against the world. Nowadays the NFL is full of player-friendly coaches. Disciplinarians are a dying breed. It’s not hard to see the majority of the Cowboys’ success came when disciplinarians were at the helm. Barry Switzer won a Super Bowl being player-friendly but let’s be real, he was dealt a winning hand. The nice guys haven’t fared too well in Dallas over the years.
Luckily for the Cowboys, the NFL isn’t about personality types or leadership strategies anymore. It’s about X’s and O’s. For as much as we want to believe the lovefest for Schottenheimer matters for this team, it’s fairly inconsequential. Love him or hate him, it all comes down to how he out-schemes his opponents.
Motivation is overrated. Accountability, while necessary to a degree, is also overrated. By the time players are in the NFL they should be motivated and disciplined on their own. Parcells certainly thought so. Where coaches earn their money now is by outsmarting the opposing coach in the playoffs.
When was the last time it felt like the Cowboys had the advantage there?
That’s rhetorical because it might not be in the current century.
Schottenheimer’s success isn’t tied to players liking him or not. It comes down to his ability to draw up smart plays in a timely and deceptive manner. Plays which his players can execute, and plays that either catch opponents off guard or target weaknesses. The common denominator among playoff teams these days is intelligent coaches. It’s the golden age of brainiacs and the Cowboys need Schottenheimer to be what previous player-friendly coaches were not.
Follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans!
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Brian Schottenheimer’s success with Cowboys won’t hinge on being liked
