FRISCO – It’s no secret that Dallas Cowboys’ legend Michael Irvin wasn’t a big fan of former head coach Mike McCarthy. And he wasn’t exactly thrilled at the promotion of Brian Schottenheimer, either.

But as the offseason has gone along, his tune has drastically changed about Schottenheimer.

The Hall-of-Fame receiver has been giddy recently, gloating about his franchise’s new-found “unity” and predicting the Cowboys will “surprise everybody” this season.

The reason for Irvin’s optimism? Well, primarily, he’s a happy dude. But also: Scchottenheimer.

“I love what coach Schottenheimer is trying to do,” Irvin said on his YouTube channel. “I came down hard about this on this decision (to hire him), but I must admit there are some things that are winning me over. Like I told you about him, understanding how important it is to have the right culture and to set the right tone.”

For an example, Irvin went a minicamp practice earlier this month wearing a lanyard around his neck that reap, “VIP: Legends Community.”

It was former Irvin teammate and co-Ring of Honor member Emmitt Smith last season who bemoaned the Cowboys’ lack of pride on and off the field.

“Coach Schottenheimer put all the legends that were there on the big board, and then called out their names,” Irvin said. “He said to the players, ‘This is what we’re a part of. This is what they built. This very building that we’re in, they built’.

“He said, ‘I want you guys to spend as much time as you can with them, to get whatever you can from them, so we can hold up and honor and do what they’ve done.’ And I was like … okay, that’s a good start, because he’s connecting.”

It may not translate into a single victory on the field, but at least Schottenheimer is winning over fans and former critics.