FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Friday on 105.3 The Fan that a video claiming George Pickens gives away plays with his mouthpiece was the first he had heard of the theory.
On Thursday at 1:01 p.m. CT, an X account posting as @ButterAubrey shared the video. It claims Pickens puts his mouthpiece in on pass plays and leaves it out on running plays. “I need some opinions on this,” the post read. “Is this something that should actually be discussed?”
Brian Schottenheimer Responds to George Pickens Mouthpiece Video
Schottenheimer joined the station Friday morning, five days after Pickens caught 3 passes for 28 yards on 6 targets in a 28-20 loss to the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium.
“I am gonna have to go to our analytics department and ask them about this because that is honestly the first I have heard of it,” Schottenheimer said. “Maybe it is on my desk. It might be a big stack of paper that says ‘GP’s Mouthpiece.’ But I do know this. If it is in fact true, it is probably a pretty good tell because it is the biggest mouthpiece I have seen.”
“I will probably walk into the meeting room with one of George’s mouthpieces, a clean one, and say, ‘Tell me what you guys think here?’” Schottenheimer continued.
On Wednesday at The Star, Schottenheimer said he had not said anything to Pickens about his drops in the opener and that Pickens would be just fine. Pickens said the same day that he was open on most of his routes and that finishing the catch is the part he has to fix. He played 49 of 58 offensive snaps against New York.
Dallas finished with 244 total yards in the loss. The Cowboys went 8-of-11 on third down, and New York went 9-of-11. The Giants ran 68 offensive plays to 52 for Dallas and held the ball for 36:40. In the second half, the Cowboys had the ball only twice.
Dak Prescott threw for 175 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception on 22-of-34 passing. The interception came just before halftime.
Brian Schottenheimer Details Cowboys’ Monday Self-Scout
Schottenheimer said the staff checks its own formations for tells, down to where the running back lines up relative to the tight end in the shotgun. Every week, that process starts with the Cowboys themselves.
“We start Monday, after the players leave, every Monday we start with what we call ‘self-scout,’” Schottenheimer explained. “So you always start with yourself. You always start with, ‘OK, hey, in this personnel grouping when you’re in gun and the back is to the tight end or away from the tight end,’ or, ‘Hey, when we’re in this front on defense,’ you always start with that because you want to adjust some of those stronger tendencies.”
At 10:15 a.m. CT, the station posted a second clip from the appearance. It covered what 105.3 The Fan called the team’s “sloppy” communication in Week 1.
“We did not play to our standard,” Schottenheimer said. “We own that.”
Pickens is playing the 2026 season on the franchise tag. He signed the $27.3 million tender in April, and the July 15 deadline for a long-term extension passed without a deal.
In 2025, his first season with Dallas, Pickens caught 93 passes for 1,429 yards and 9 touchdowns, all career highs. He was named to the Pro Bowl and earned second-team All-Pro honors from The Associated Press.
Dallas hosts the Washington Commanders in its home opener Sunday at AT&T Stadium. Washington lost its opener 24-22 in Philadelphia, leaving both teams 0-1. The Cowboys swept Washington last season, winning 44-22 in Arlington and 30-23 on Christmas Day. Kickoff is 3:25 p.m. CT on FOX.
