Cowboys, Jerry Jones praise Brian Schottenheimer after debut despite defeat – The opening night reviews are in. And if Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is the No. 1 critic for Brian Schottenheimer, then the first-year head coach shouldn’t have anything to worry about. Even if his team came out on the losing side of a 24-20 decision on the road to the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. Cowboys Jerry Jones praise Brian Schottenheimer after debut despite defeat
“He had this team ready to play,” Jones stated after the game. “He had them prepared on all sides of the ball. He had them mentally ready to play. I’m just sorry that when it comes down to it and we needed to make those plays we didn’t get ‘em made. But we all know we played a good squad out there tonight. “I give Brian, I give his staff all the credit in the world.”
In one aspect, the first half of Schottenheimer’s head-coaching career could not have been better. The offense, for which he calls the plays, scored on all four possessions – two touchdowns to start the game, followed by two field goals. Cowboys Jerry Jones praise Brian Schottenheimer after debut despite defeat
The trouble was that his defense, missing Micah Parsons, couldn’t stop the Eagles, who scored touchdowns on three successive drives in the first half and scored the only points of the second half with a field goal. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott reacted with an emphatic “(expletive) yeah” when asked about the team’s preparation coming into the game.
“He did everything he could to give us an opportunity, especially one as a head coach in terms of having us prepared,” Prescott said. “With the manner we went out there, we were physical and we played together. We’ve just have to play a little bit more complementary.” Cowboys Jerry Jones praise Brian Schottenheimer after debut despite defeat
Schottenheimer, the son of Hall of Fame coach Marty, has 26 seasons of NFL experience under his belt, including the last two as the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator under McCarthy. After a search, Jones selected the guy down the hall: Schottenheimer. One factor, Jones noted during Schottenheimer’s first news conference, was his bond with Cowboys players. “I still think we can win a Super Bowl,” he told reporters after the game. “That’s the goal.”
Emotions ran high during the national anthem (played by Boyz II Men), he said, but after the music closed it was all business from there. The Cowboys certainly hung with the reigning champs, but that simply isn’t enough for Schottenheimer.
“I’m proud of how they competed, but I don’t find any moral victories when this team’s built on a culture that’s all about winning,” he added. “You don’t find moral victories in losing.” As a head coach and a playcaller, Prescott noted, Schottenheimer did his job in his first test. “He gave us every opportunity and he was dialing it up,” the quarterback added. “So yeah, it sucks that he didn’t get his first win here tonight in game one, but it’s a long season and he’s going to get it.”
Jones went out of his way to stress that the Cowboys committed zero pre-snap penalties on offense.
“That’s coaching,” Jones added.
A swipe at McCarthy? A true complement for Schottenheimer? Perhaps both?. Already, Jones is trying to make his gamble – he’s the one who labeled Schottenheimer’s hire “a risk” after all – look like a winner. Even if the debut performance was the reverse.
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