There is a very famous former Dallas Cowboys coach who was known to say, “You are what your record says you are.” That was Bill Parcells, of course. And for current Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer, the record is less than stellar. After going 7-9-1 in his first season in 2025, when he was elevated from offensive coordinator to replace Mike McCarthy, Schottenheimer now sits at 2-4 this year, running his total as a head coach to 9-13-1. Schottenheimer has one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, Dak Prescott, plus two of its best receivers, George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb. For an offensive coach with those weapons, Schottenheimer’s record is a massive disappointment.
But this week, Schottenheimer raised some eyebrows by calling himself a “great coach” and noting that he is an “elite play-caller,” statements made amid a wave of criticism he’s gotten after the Cowboys scored just 29 points combined in the past two weeks.
Cowboys Job Has Bright Spotlight
These are hard times for Schottenheimer, and certainly, his word choice was not spot-on. But a little grace should be given–coaches are required to talk a lot in the NFL, between press conference and radio shows, and when you’re the coach of the Cowboys, every verbal flub gets magnified.
Still, Schottenheimer has set himself up for criticism, as former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman notes. Schottenheimer has set himself up as a player-focused coach, all love and back-pats and long conversations. Once the players stop listening to that kind of coach, though, it gets difficult to win them back.
Troy Aikman: Brian Schottenheimer Measured in Wins
For Aikman, that’s the danger zone that Schottenheimer and the Cowboys are in. The kind words for players is fine, but in the end, all that matters is your record.
Speaking to longtime Cowboys insider Mike Fisher, Aikman said: “At the end of the day, that’s the profession we chose, that’s just the bottom line. You can talk, you can sell, you can say whatever you want, at the end of the day, no matter who you are, it’s all about wins and losses. That’s for quarterbacks, owners, head coaches, that’s for everyone.
“You can talk about how good you are, you can talk about, ‘I’m going to build a culture’ and ‘I’m going to build this’ and ‘I’m going to love on these guys.’ Great, all of that is great. But when you get into the season, there’s only one measuring stick, and it’s, ‘Did you win the game or did you lose the game?’
“And that’s all that matters.”
Cowboys’ Brian Schottenheimer Called Out by Troy Aikman