What will ultimately define Brian Schottenheimer’s tenure as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys will be wins and losses. There’s no doubting or downplaying that stat.
But in just a little over three months on the job, it’s hard to say that he hasn’t done just about everything right to stamp his impact on the building.
From making his claim as a “relationship-first” coach in his introductory press conference to continuing to hammer that home as new faces walk into the building, Schottenheimer has created a different feel at The Star in Frisco in a short period of time. Before the team hits the field in September, Schottenheimer is focused on building a strong culture that can translate to wins on Sundays.
Building a culture
“We’ve spoken very openly about trying to create one of the greatest cultures in professional sports,” Schottenheimer said on Tuesday as he spoke with the media during OTA availability.
Not only has he been open about the topic, it’s been evident from the players that have arrived in Dallas. During rookie minicamp in early May, almost every new addition spoke on the high energy that the coaching staff had in the team’s two rookie practices.
“Uplifting,” rookie running back Jaydon Blue said about what stands out about Schottenheimer. “Somebody could be having a bad day, and he comes in, starts screaming, excited. That helps me. A coach that I can relate to like that, that helps me be better.”
Just a few weeks later, it’s wide receiver George Pickens who became the newest face after being acquired in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but even he had the same review.
“Energy,” Pickens said about what stands out early on. “This is a business, where a guy like coach Schotty, he’s going to bring the energy every day. No matter what the energy is, he’s going to bring it.”
While energy can sometimes be mistaken for putting on a fake persona and not being genuine, Schottenheimer has received buy-in from the entire roster from veterans to rookies alike.
“He’s just doing a hell of a job building the culture,” quarterback Dak Prescott said. “And in a sense starting over and understanding that, yeah, we do have to do it from the ground up. It’s been fun.”
The energy has already translated onto the field. Acquired in March in a trade with the Buffalo Bills, cornerback Kaiir Elam feels better prepared because of the culture that has been built around him.
“With the coaching staff having energy and enthusiasm, I feel eager to ask questions,” he said.
Breaking bread
If there’s been a consistent theme in Schottenheimer’s first few weeks on the job, it’d have to be food.
About a month before the NFL Draft, while the coaching staff was working tirelessly to catch up on the college scouting in order to be prepared for draft weekend, Schottenheimer took a couple of hours out of his morning to meet with the entire building. From team employees in accounting to marketing to human resources and everything in between, Schottenheimer brought Whataburger breakfast catering into the building and passed out food for every team employee while also spending time getting to know them.
Weeks later, that same philosophy has been used on his own roster. From having a crawfish boil after the first day of team offseason workouts to cooking pizzas in mini brick ovens to having a barbecue cookout on Wednesday after team meetings, Schottenhimer has been keeping his roster fed while also using the opportunity to bond among each other.
In addition, he’s also made a habit of gathering a handful of players together every night for a dinner at the Cowboys’ members-only speakeasy restaurant on the top level of The Star in Frisco, Cowboys Club.
“We try to get four or five or six guys together and just go talk about life,” Schottenheimer said. “Football rarely comes up. We do football all day long. What I want to know is I want to know why Javonte [Williams] named his dog what he named his dog, and where does this story come from and all those things.”
Upon Pickens’ arrival to the team earlier this month, he was one of the players Schottenheimer chose for a sitdown dinner to talk life. The positives drawn from that conversation have already helped the entire receiver room assimilate with its new piece.
“Relationships go a long way,” wide receiver CeeDee Lamb said. “Having that trust with each other and conversation and open dialogue about anything, when things happen during the season, we already built that bond during the offseason. It’s a great start.”
Schottenheimer has since encouraged his entire coaching staff to adopt the same strategy to get to know their players in hopes that it will help solve issues on the field when that time comes.
“Coaches, get with your players,” he said. “Go to dinner, do things together, because we have to learn each other’s stories and each other’s scars so that we can truly learn how to work together and love one another and support one another. We’re all going to have good days and bad days. That’s not just something we talk about. It’s something we do.”
Compete every day
When George Pickens first arrived into Schottenheimer’s office a few weeks back, he was given a soft basketball and was told to line up.
A mini basketball hoop stood over the top of the door to his new head coach’s office, and the two immediately thrust themselves into a shooting competition.
“The first day I came up here, we did a little shooting contest,” Pickens said. “I beat him. And the next day, he literally brought me up to the owner to shoot basketball. And then, he beat me.”
Those basketball hoops have found their way around multiple parts of the building, including the team lounge and team meeting room.
“Anywhere and everywhere,” Schottenheimer said. “We do some things in the team room. We do some things in my office. The central theme of the program is compete every day so we find different ways to do it. It’s fun to watch these world-class football players that absolutely suck at shooting free throws. It’s fun to watch these guys compete and get outside their comfort level to try to one up each other.”
From a putting competition around the time of the Masters in early April to a planned upcoming hockey competition to honor the Dallas Stars run through the playoffs, Schottenheimer has continued to keep his competition mantra lively in the early days of the offseason program.
In the locker room, a ping-pong table is featured in the front and center. While interviews go on during media availability, you can hear the bouncing of ping-pong balls and the competition that has been created in the team’s intimate setting.
“We just moved it in there because I want this place, I want our players to want to be here,” Schottenheimer said. “I want our players to come in the locker room and for us to have to kick them out. They have their time frame that they can be here, whatnot. I love playing ping-pong. They love playing ping-pong. It’s fun to watch these guys compete. “
That high level of competition has spilled onto the practice field as well. For the new additions, it’s been a welcomed breath of fresh air, even from ones who have come from winning programs.
“We compete every day, every aspect, every moment,” Elam said. “At the beginning of meetings, we start competing with each other, we start shooting [free throws]. I feel the energy, just coming into the building and not knowing what to expect. You never know who you’re competing against, and that’s very exciting.”
Schottenheimer’s early impact
In year one of his tenure as the head coach, it won’t be perfect for Schottenheimer. With one of the most difficult schedules in the NFL looming in 2025, he will actually have very little room for error when the fall comes around.
But as the team prepares for the grind of the upcoming year, the culture built around the team has leaders and followers alike in the building believing. Truthfully, that is the first step.
How much does that translate to wins and losses? It’s tough to say. But as a 25-year assistant in the NFL and a childhood that saw him take inspiration from his father, Marty, into his own coaching career, Schottenheimer feels that has he a good pulse on what works and what doesn’t work.
For him, winning begins with building the right culture.
“It’s something that’s got to define itself,” Prescott said about the team’s culture, “and get created amongst all of us coming together, believing in it, believing in one another and understanding that this culture is going to be the reason that we win.”
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Nick Harris is the Dallas Cowboys beat reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He has experience working on the beat for DallasCowboys.com and previous work experience at Yahoo Sports/Rivals and 247Sports.