‘We’re Better Than That’: Brian Schottenheimer Says Dallas Cowboys Offensive Line Fell Short Against Arizona Cardinals

FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys offensive line was not good enough against the Arizona Cardinals, Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Friday, six days after the same group helped Dallas run for 204 yards at Philadelphia.

Schottenheimer made the comments on 105.3 The Fan’s Shan & RJ. Dallas ran 38 times for 204 yards in its 38-21 win over the Eagles on Oct. 26, and Javonte Williams had a career-high 155 yards on 25 carries. Against Arizona, the Cowboys ran 39 times for 93 yards, and Williams had 56 yards on 24 carries in the 33-30 overtime loss.

The pride in that room showed on Monday night in Philadelphia, Schottenheimer said, and he holds the three interior starters to a higher bar.

“You guys hit the nail on the head. It wasn’t good enough against Arizona,” Schottenheimer said. “I think I’ve given Arizona plenty of credit, but we’re better than that. We know that. And what I do know, guys, with that group of men, there’s a lot of pride in that room.”

“I think we saw that on Monday night against Philadelphia,” Schottenheimer continued. “But really starting with Tyler Smith, Cooper Beebe, Tyler Booker, those three inside guys. I mean, we expect them to be dominant each and every week. We weren’t to the standard against Arizona. And then I’ve talked a lot about Tyler Guyton and how good he’s played all year long. But overall, we weren’t good enough. And that starts with us as coaches.”

Left guard Tyler Smith, center Cooper Beebe, and right guard Tyler Booker make up the interior, with Tyler Guyton at left tackle. Smith was limited Wednesday and Thursday with an ankle injury, practiced fully Friday, and carries no designation for Sunday. Arizona sacked Dak Prescott four times.

Brian Schottenheimer Explains Run Commitment After Arizona Loss

Schottenheimer said the Cowboys left the Arizona game knowing their yards per carry were not good enough, but the plan was to keep running until something broke.

“I’ll always say this, the complementary football aspect of the National Football League in general, but really our team is where we want to live,” Schottenheimer explained. “And that was one of those games where, I’ll be honest with you, you come out of the game, you’re like, ‘Man, 2.2 yards per carry. That’s not very good.’ So that was one of those games that we felt really strongly that we would crack the hole. We would get a big run.”

“You’re running for two and three and then one. And then you just keep taking shots at the rock,” Schottenheimer added. “It’s going to split at some point. And unfortunately, we didn’t get to split.”

Staying with the run means changing the type of run when one is not working, according to Schottenheimer.

“When you say committed to the run, I think what you see is you see us having to try to, on the staff part, make adjustments,” Schottenheimer said. “And maybe, for example, there’s lots of different run types. There’s inside zones. There’s outside zones. There’s misdirection plays. It’s staying committed to it and then also looking for, ‘OK, well, this play type’s not working, so let’s go to this play type.’ And that’s what we work really, really diligently on.”

“But like I said, the complementary football aspect and balance in this league is really, really important,” Schottenheimer continued. “And that’s where we’ve always kind of been at our best, going back to last year, going back to some of our greatest success. So it’s figuring out the best way to not just stick with the run, but, ‘OK, we’re going to stick with the run, but what runs give us the best chance to find a crease in the [seam] that goes for a big play.’”

Dallas Cowboys Face Lou Anarumo’s Blitz Packages In Indianapolis

Opponents have blitzed Dallas more than their tendencies suggested this season, Schottenheimer said, and he expects the same from Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo on Sunday.

“We usually get a higher percentage of blitz than what they’ve shown going into a game. This week we think is no different,” Schottenheimer said. “Lou Anarumo is a veteran NFL longtime defensive coordinator, and he’s got a lot of blitz packages. But probably the biggest thing is just the amount of pressure that we’ve seen. And the biggest thing I would say is we have just not gashed the blitz yet, and that’s what stops that.”

Dallas plays at the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday at noon CT on FOX.