The coach of the year award generally goes to the coach whose team most significantly exceeds its generally-accepted preseason expectations. Under that standard, Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer is forcing his way into the conversation.
Currently, his odds are 35-1. After Thursday, perhaps they’ll improive.
With wins over the two Super Bowl LIX teams only four days apart, the Cowboys have moved to 6-5-1. They’ve won three in a row since the death of second-year defensive lineman Marshawn Kneeland, and Schottenheimer’s ability to keep the team together and focused should not be underestimated. Most importantly, they’ve put themselves in position for a postseason run despite the ill-advised decision to trade linebacker Micah Parsons to the Packers less than two weeks before Week 1.
Schottenheimer’s hiring seemed to be more about maximizing continuity for quarterback Dak Prescott than swinging for the fences. Schottenheimer’s window to become a head coach seemingly had closed, years ago. No one else was considering him.
None of that matters. He looks the part. He talks the part. He acts the part. And the Cowboys now have the ability to pull the ultimate inside straight — especially with a showdown against the increasingly desperate Lions only seven days away.
It won’t be easy. The Cowboys need to keep winning, with the final four games after the trip to Detroit consisting of Vikings, Chargers, at Commanders, at Giants. And they’ll need to find a way to slip past two of four very viable contenders: the second- and third-place teams in the NFC West and the second- and third-place teams in the NFC North.
The Week 4 tie against the Packers could be the difference, one way or the other. That “and one” on the end of the record may be either the thing that gets them in by the skin of their teeth, or that keeps them out by a whisker.
If they get in, Schottenheimer should receive serious consideration for the coach of the year award that his father, Marty, won in 2004.