What to anticipate from new Cowboys OC Brian Schottenheimer
The Cowboys are getting into Yr 4 of the Mike McCarthy Expertise in Dallas, which suggests it’s basically put-up or shut-up time for the previous Tremendous Bowl successful coach. Gone is Kellen Moore, the inherited offensive coordinator from the earlier regime.
In comes Brian Schottenheimer, the well-traveled play-designer, handpicked by McCarthy. What the hiring lacks in creativity, it makes up for in match and acquiescence.
Slightly than tweaking the present mannequin, McCarthy is expected to build an offense that better resembles his system in Inexperienced Bay. Wanting somebody he knew and somebody he felt assured would assist and improve his efforts, McCarthy employed Schottenheimer, who was most not too long ago working in a supportive function of teaching advisor in 2022.
Working collectively final season, McCarthy and Schottenheimer probably laid the groundwork for a profitable working relationship in 2023. McCarthy is aware of what to anticipate from Schottenheimer and Schottenheimer in all probability is aware of what will probably be demanded by McCarthy.
He employed acquainted for a cause.
McCarthy will probably be calling performs for the Cowboys in 2023 and Schottenheimer will probably be serving to with play-design and game-planning. However who actually is Schottenheimer and what does he convey to his new function in Dallas?
Is Schottenheimer an excellent offensive coordinator?
A lot of the instant consternation over the rent revolves round Schottenheimer’s modest success in his various coaching pit stops. He served as offensive coordinator thrice earlier than within the NFL (New York Jets 2006-2011, Los Angeles Rams 2012-2014 and Seattle Seahawks 2018-2020) however solely in Seattle did he discover success (top-10 offense in scoring and EPA).
But, even his time with the Seahawks was considerably marred as a result of Seattle ran, what many believed to be, a dated assault. The Seahawks offense was top-ranked however leaned closely on a run-run-pass method that didn’t maximize Russell Wilson’s finest years.
Schottenheimer was unceremoniously let go in Seattle when offensive manufacturing dipped considerably late in 2020. Cited as “philosophical variations” between Pete Carroll and Schottenheimer, probably the most profitable cease in Schottenheimer’s profession got here to an abrupt finish, leaving questions as to how good he actually is and the place the blame/credit score for the varied success and failures must be.
Is Schottenheimer a run-heavy coach?
This might be the largest false impression on the market proper now.
It doesn’t assist his father, Marty Schottenheimer, was infamously identified for “Marty Ball” which makes use of opportunistic passing to assist a cussed and unrelenting operating recreation. It additionally doesn’t assist his numbers present he’s led some pretty run-heavy assaults over the course of his profession.
But a deeper dive exhibits there’s greater than meets the attention and calling him a run-heavy coach could be inaccurate as soon as the circumstances of the person conditions are thought of.
Seattle provides the perfect glimpse of this.
The beforehand talked about “Philosophical variations” between Carroll and Schottenheimer particularly concerned the run-pass steadiness. But it surely was Schottenheimer who wanted to pass the ball more and Carroll who wished to keep up the run-heavy id, in accordance with QB Russell Wilson.
Carroll, one of the run-focused coaches in right this moment’s NFL, noticed his staff’s passing frequency steadily rise underneath Schottenheimer. His final 12 months calling performs for the Seahawks produced Wilson’s finest season of his profession (additionally probably the most move makes an attempt of Wilson’s profession).
Regardless of the success, it didn’t match the mildew of what Carroll thought a Seattle offense must be and Schottenheimer was dismissed.
What’s a Schottenheimer offense?
Schottenheimer isn’t as run-heavy as Carroll wished in Seattle however he’s additionally in all probability not as pass-happy as McCarthy was in Inexperienced Bay. Schottenheimer is an Air Coryell coach who makes use of inside-zone runs to arrange play-action passing.
Like McCarthy, he likes to hit receivers on the run and designs performs for YAC (yards after catch) which is a stark distinction from Moore’s model of Air Coryell.
On the finish of the day, Schottenheimer’s offense will probably be what McCarthy wants it to be. McCarthy is looking the performs so Schottenheimer’s splendid run-pass ratio is nearly irrelevant. McCarthy will dictate that.
Schottenheimer brings new operating ideas and a love for play-action and YAC to the offense. Most significantly, he brings one thing McCarthy particularly needs and never one thing he inherited.
For higher or for worse, McCarthy is doing issues on his phrases this coming season and Schottenheimer is the offensive coordinator he selected to do it with.