Brian Schottenheimer’s introductory press conference as the Dallas Cowboys’ new head coach wasn’t just odd — it was a masterclass in dysfunction.
While Schottenheimer dodged the outright awkwardness that plagued Liam Coen’s Jacksonville debut, there was no escaping Jerry Jones’ tendency to make everything about himself. Between shedding tears and combatting the narrative that Schottenheimer is a “comfort zone” hire, Jones managed to run the bus over his new head coach multiple times — all while holding the wheel.
When asked about the rationale behind hiring Schottenheimer, Jones embarked on a long-winded monologue about his career, his presence at the Senior Bowl and his unfulfilled dreams of coaching — all without directly answering the question.
For those hoping to hear a coherent plan, it was yet another reminder that the Cowboys operate on vibes, not vision.
It was quite the spectacle — one that The Athletic’s Dianna Russini summed up perfectly during her appearance on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz.
“The buzz today has really just been Jerry Jones and the way that press conference went down. It should be studied. The whole thing was really weird. I kept thinking if I was Brian Schottenheimer: Does this owner want me here?” – @DMRussini
WATCH: https://t.co/WFbu4Nwi5J pic.twitter.com/nci47MfbNs
— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) January 28, 2025
“The buzz today has really just been Jerry Jones,” Russini said during a Tuesday spot on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, “and just the way that press conference went down. It should be studied because there were so many moments of just awkwardness… There were some moments where he was emotional. The whole thing was really weird.
“And I kept thinking, if I was Brian Schottenheimer, does the owner want me here? There was some tone in there where it could be condescending at times. I didn’t really get this rah-rah speech from Jerry that made me go, ‘OK, I get. I get why he went in-house, why he went with the offensive coordinator of the head coach that he fired,’ because, to me, I don’t care what they’re trying to sell in Dallas, they did not have a plan. They did not think that this was going to fall apart with Mike McCarthy, and that the two sides would go on in different directions, and that they would be on the market for a new head coach.”
In short, they weren’t prepared.
And that lack of preparation may explain why Dallas missed out on bigger names like Aaron Glenn or Ben Johnson.
But according to Russini, this isn’t just a Cowboys issue — it’s a league-wide problem with ownership.
“Here’s something I’ve learned over the past few weeks about how organizations see themselves: they do not see themselves the way we can see them and criticize,” Russini says. “They think everybody wants to be associated with them, including the Jets, Stu. Everyone has this lack of self-awareness, because they know there’s only 32 of these; they know guys are willing to do whatever it takes.
“Look at Liam Coen’s situation… this is a cutthroat industry — and you only get a few opportunities. Bobby Slowik was getting head coach opening opportunities, and he was fired by the Houston Texas last week. Lou Anarumo was the sweetheart of the league after the Bengals went to the Super Bowl, and now he’s the Colts’ defensive coordinator, barely. — I say barely, because he had a couple options.
“But, I just think owners know how hard it is for these coaches to get these jobs, that they simply look at it that way. ‘Mike McCarthy, you’re not walking. I’m gonna offer you a situation that’s maybe not great, but you have no other options.’ And I think Mike McCarthy looked at the situation and was like, ‘Meh, I don’t want to deal with this anymore. It’s not worth it to me at this point.'”
Yet again, the Cowboys failed to inspire confidence.
And on Monday, they — and Jerry Jones — showed the NFL world why they’ve spent nearly three decades chasing relevance instead of championships.
