FRISCO - Context matters.
So before the "casuals'' and the "nationals'' take Brian Schottenheimer's remarks here at The Star during Tuesday OTAs as a "prediction'' in the strictest sense ...
Context.
The condensed version of the new Dallas Cowboys' coach's position on The Big Game?
"Are we gonna win the Super Bowl this year?'' Schottenheimer said. "I hope. I think we are.''
Wow! That is quite a statement ... softened a bit by his full remarks. ... Which were ...
“I don’t get caught up in (the Cowboys’ 30-year Super Bowl) drought. This is one year. This is the first year of mine. When the season’s over, we move on. We do. You move on, 2024 is over, now it’s 2025.
"Are we gonna win the Super Bowl this year? I hope. I think we are. If we don’t, you move on. ... I’m competing every day to try to win a Super Bowl. If I’m looking back and worrying about that, I’m not focused on what really matters, which is making sure we have an incredible practice today.”
The truth is, this follows the coach's style from his first day, when he said his goal was to create "the greatest culture in sports.''
More recently, "Schotty" was asked if he's considered changing anything since entering this position.
His response was rather blunt.
"No, (I won't change), I think I’ve always been someone who believes in connection—getting to know these guys," he said. "I’ve always been able to be demanding, and I’m pretty good at disciplining guys.
"Not really, man. I promised myself, when I got this opportunity, that I wouldn’t change."
Schottenheimer, who has been with the Cowboys as an offensive analyst and coordinator since 2022, has claimed to recognize when change has impacted a head coach's success. ...
And he's quite frank about it.
"I’ve seen too many people change, and the ones I’ve seen do that - I'm not going to name them - they weren’t very successful," he said.
With his team coming off a lowly 7-10 season in 2024 and adjusting to a new coaching staff, "successful'' would be a special thing in 2025. Schottenheimer holds onto the belief that his authenticity will be what leads to wins.
"I plan on being really successful, and the reason I believe I will be is because of my values, my beliefs, how hard I work, and the fact that I’m going to be me," he said.
"I'm not going to change that for anybody."
And setting his goal as a Super Bowl win? It's lofty. It's odds-beating. It might even be fantasy.
But to Schottenheimer, it's the only way to think.
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