{"id":55108,"date":"2025-06-11T03:37:04","date_gmt":"2025-06-11T03:37:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=55108"},"modified":"2025-06-11T03:37:04","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T03:37:04","slug":"breaking-cowboys-legend-sends-strong-message-on-brian-schottenheimer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=55108","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING: Cowboys Legend Sends Strong Message on Brian Schottenheimer.."},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"post-featured-container-id\">\n<div id=\"post-featured\" class=\"wp-caption \">\n<div class=\"h-responsive\">\n<figure class=\"h-responsive__inner\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"attachment-featured-image size-featured-image wp-post-image\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-2195715484.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 820px) 95vw, 780px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-2195715484.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780 780w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-2195715484.jpg?quality=15&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-2195715484.jpg?quality=35&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1350 1350w\" alt=\"Brian Schottenheimer\" width=\"780\" height=\"475\" data-dom-ready-time=\"534\" data-img-load-time=\"553\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"caption-credit\">Ron Jenkins\/Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"c-post-image-caption-text\">Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer talks during at a press conference along side team owner Jerry Jones at The Star in Frisco, Texas on January 27, 2025.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>DeMarcus Ware has a strong belief in Brian Schottenheimer\u2019s ability to both change the\u00a0Dallas Cowboys\u2018 culture while also reminding owner\/shot-caller Jerry Jones what is most important.<\/p>\n<p>The Hall of Fame outside linebacker and Cowboys franchise record holder for sacks shared his perspective on why the first-time head coach is the right man for the job while also explaining Schottenheimer\u2019s ability to change Jones\u2019 perspective.<\/p>\n<p>Ware had 117 sacks in 141 games for the Cowboys between 2005-13 and was a four-time first-team All-Pro member. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2023.<\/p>\n<h2>Why Does DeMarcus Ware Think Brian Schottenheimer Is The Best Head Coach For The Cowboys?<\/h2>\n<p>The Cowboys won 49 games in five seasons under previous head coach Mike McCarthy. They qualified for the playoffs three times and won a playoff game in 2022, 31-14 over the\u00a0Tampa Bay Buccaneers\u00a0that sent Tom Brady into retirement.<\/p>\n<p>Dallas could have picked just about anyone to coach after firing McCarthy, since the Cowboys head coach position, even under Jones, is one of the most alluring roles in pro sports. But Jones chose a rookie head coach for just the second time since 2003.<\/p>\n<p>But Ware, who played for three coaches in his nine seasons, feels Schottenheimer has a clear \u201cit\u201d factor when it comes to changing a subpar culture permeating the Cowboys facility.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think a guy like Schottenheimer coming in and reminding [Jones] what\u2019s the most important thing, and that\u2019s his family,\u201d Ware told \u201cThe Invasion\u201d podcast. \u201cSometimes you need reminders and someone underneath you to say \u2018hey, let\u2019s try this\u2019 and hit a little button in [Jones] that will sort of get that fire going in you again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ware won his only Super Bowl championship with the\u00a0Denver Broncos, helping Von Miller, Peyton Manning and Co. upset the 17-1\u00a0Carolina Panthers 24-10 in Super Bowl 50.<\/p>\n<p>Even though he got his ring, Ware lamented not being able to get it in Dallas. He shined some light on why he believes the Cowboys, who went to the playoffs three times and won the NFC East twice in his nine seasons, could not get over the hump and reach the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know the Dallas Cowboys could\u2019ve done that when I was there, but it was that little thing that was missing,\u201d Ware said. \u201cThat family aspect. When things get really hard, when you start getting closer to the playoffs \u2026 [the Broncos] won because we were able to hyper focus.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s really hard to do [in Dallas], but you\u2019re going to have to. If everybody is on board, then everybody has no choice.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Are The Cowboys Headed In The Right Direction?<\/h2>\n<p>Dallas fans might believe the team has all the pieces in place to compete this season. But the Cowboys went 7-10 in 2024, and even that record doesn\u2019t tell the whole story since they started 3-7, went 2-7 at home, had a minus-118 point differential and an Expected win-loss record of 5.7-11.3.<\/p>\n<p>Still, Ware believes in the Cowboys, since Dallas\u2019 defense was abysmal at home and their season went south after quarterback Dak Prescott\u2019s season-ending hamstring injury. He cited their off-season acquisition of wide receiver George Pickens, and Schottenheimer\u2019s willingness to run the ball, which McCarthy almost refused to do.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re on the right way,\u201d Ware said. \u201cThey got Pickens to help [No. 1 wideout] CeeDee [Lamb], and \u2026 it\u2019s a perfect blueprint, because the best offense is if you can run the ball and move the chains and the defense is not out there.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ron Jenkins\/Getty Images Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer talks during at a press conference along side team owner Jerry Jones at The Star in Frisco, Texas&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":55110,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - 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