New Cowboys OC Brian Schottenheimer talks about 2023 offense, emphasizes Dallas wants to ‘play fast’

As the new offensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys, part of Brian Schottenheimer’s role includes fielding tough questions from the media that will quickly make the rounds on social media. Yet when asked about his first memory of working with Mike McCarthy, Schottenheimer answered it with the ease of a Sunday afternoon stroll. 

It was in Kansas City in 1998 while serving on the staff of Brian’s father, Marty Schottenheimer. McCarthy was in his fourth season as the Chiefs‘ quarterbacks coach. The younger Schottenheimer was starting his second NFL gig after spending the previous season on Dick Vermiel’s staff in St. Louis. Vermeil’s meticulous nature helped Schottenheimer during his acclimation with McCarthy. 

“He brought me a binder that was about this big of all the reports that I was responsible for … and basically dropped it on the table and said, ‘Hey, this is where you’re starting,'” Schottenheimer recalled. “He taught me how important it was to learn the game. … He’s a hell of a football coach.”

Their paths have again crossed in Dallas a quarter century later. Schottenheimer was brought in to further improve a Cowboys offense that finished fourth in the NFL in scoring in 2022. While the offense won’t be entirely the same as in recent years, Schottenheimer doesn’t plan to make wholesale changes. What the Cowboys call and when they call it may be the biggest change regarding the offense. 

“It’s been a grind. It’s been fun,” Schottenheimer said when asked about the work of installing the offense with McCarthy. “As you know, look, the system’s not broke. They’ve won a lot of games here. Mike’s been around for that. … They’ve scored a ton of points. … We’ve had a lot of discussions.”