RIO DE JANEIRO — The Dallas Cowboys have 16 to 18 rookies and first-year players, and most of them had never played an international game. Coach Brian Schottenheimer said Friday that he relied on the team’s leadership council to explain what the Rio trip would demand.
Two council members have already played in Brazil. Rashan Gary and Kenny Clark played for the Green Bay Packers in São Paulo in 2024.
According to Schottenheimer, young players may have questioned parts of the travel plan, and the veterans are the ones who deliver that message.
“Yeah, that’s real. I think so. I think if you’ve never played in one of these international games, you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into,” Schottenheimer said. “We’ve got a young football team. We’ve got, I think, 16 or 18 rookies and first-year players, if you will. There’s things that they’re probably thinking, but that’s where you lean on the leadership council.”
“Guys that have played in games and traveled and done those things. And we’ve got an incredible leadership council,” Schottenheimer continued. “A couple of the guys on the leadership council were in a game down here a couple of years ago in Green Bay, Rashan Gary, Kenny Clark. So I think those guys send the message. But at the same time, it’s one game. It’s the next game.”
Dallas Cowboys Keep Families Home, Fill Downtime In Rio
Schottenheimer’s family did not make the trip, and he believes few players’ families did. The staff warned players early that the schedule would leave little free time.
“We were very upfront with the guys early on. We said, hey, look, at the end of the day, it’s going to be tight,” Schottenheimer explained. “It’s going to be a lot of different scheduling conflicts where you’re not going to have the free time to do the stuff that you normally would do. And I think if you’re upfront and honest with these guys, I think they were great.”
Players have card games, Monopoly, and rooms set aside for PlayStation at the team resort. Dak Prescott compared the extra time together to the position-group dinners players would normally have back home.
“Yeah, it’s crucial. Any chance you get camaraderie, extra time with your guys,” Prescott said. “For back in the States, a lot of guys would be having O-line dinner or position group dinners, and so you’re still getting a chance to do that, to be with your brothers, to spend that time. And any chance we get to compete, whether it’s cards or video games, I know a lot of guys are doing one or the other.”
“We’re hanging out at the pool, just enjoying it,” Prescott continued. “I mean, it’s great weather right now. I don’t know how you guys feel about it, but it’s nicer than what it is in Dallas. So we’ll take that.”
Brian Schottenheimer On Building Team Chemistry
Schottenheimer started building that chemistry in the offseason. The team’s first gathering was a golf outing, not a meeting, and a preseason dinner with the quarterbacks, receivers, and tight ends ran right up to curfew without much football talk.
“I think it started in the offseason. We did a lot of things with not just the team. The very first thing we did as a team was not a football meeting,” Schottenheimer said. “So went to a golf course and played some golf and hung out and played putt-putt and different things like that. Why? I want to get these guys to know each other. Hey, what’s important to you? Tell me about your family. Tell me what motivates you about this great game that we all put so much time and sacrifice into.”
“During the preseason, I know a ton of guys went to dinner. I know I went to dinner with a couple of the offensive staff guys, the quarterbacks, George, CeeDee, the tight ends, they were all there,” Schottenheimer continued. “And it was just really cool for us to hang outside of football. And quite honestly, we didn’t talk about football. We talked about other things. We talked about life and families and interests outside and traveling. And so as the clock closed in on curfew, we really didn’t want to leave.”
The Cowboys play the Baltimore Ravens at Maracanã Stadium at 3:25 p.m. CT Sunday on CBS.
