The Dallas Cowboys officially introduced Brian Schottenheimer as its new head coach on Monday afternoon, following two seasons where he served as the team’s offensive coordinator under Mike McMcarthy.
With Schottenheimer kicking things off in somewhat typical fashion, offering some thankful words to his family and Cowboys’ ownership, the first question steered directly to Jerry Jones.
After what turned into a relatively bizarre 11-minute response to a question about why Jones chose Schottenheimer—who even Jones himself referred to as a “career assistant”—Dallas’ new head honcho eventually got another chance to speak.
With Dak Prescott present for the festivities, “Schotty” made a point to shine some light on the star quarterback and decided to deliver the praise with some extra sauce.
While any new NFL head coach would pretty much be expected to roll in with high confidence, Schottenheimer’s clear words feel like a lock to become a go-to topic for a frequently frustrated Cowboys fanbase:
“He’s [Prescott] gonna play elite level football,” Schottenheimer said. “He’s gonna lead us to championships. We got the right guy. We’re gonna win. We’re gonna win a championship.”
For a storied franchise like the Cowboys, flat-out stating that they’re going to win a Super Bowl is the type of loaded line that might as well be framed in neon lights and hung up outside the practice facility.
Because, again, this is the Cowboys we’re talking about here. Regardless of some early playoff exits—and no playoffs at all for Dallas this season—expectations from Jones remain extremely high and the strong message from Schottenheimer feels exactly like the type of thing ownership wants to hear, and perhaps needs to hear.
Remember, the Cowboys are the only remaining team in the NFC to not make the conference championship game over the last 30 years.
One positive takeaway from Schottenheimer’s ambitious quote that seemed relatively subtle in its delivery was that he wisely dialed back his initial “championships” declaration to the singular “championship.”
Nonetheless, Cowboys fans have already taken Schottenheimer’s quote and begun sprinting with it at a feverish pace, which isn’t exactly surprising.
