‘Pretty Pissed Off’: Brian Schottenheimer Reacts To Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones Backing Him After Dallas Cowboys’ 2-4 Start

FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Monday he did not need to hear executive vice president Stephen Jones voice support for him, a day after a 23-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers dropped Dallas to 2-4.

Jones said Monday on 105.3 The Fan that he and owner Jerry Jones “absolutely” believe in Schottenheimer, The Athletic’s Jon Machota relayed. Jones called the loss very disappointing and said he was frustrated.

“There’s not any question in Jerry and my mind,” Jones said. “He has the team. There’s no question they want to go out there and execute and make things happen. Feel really good about our coaching staff. We just got to have it continue to evolve and get to a point where we can win these football games.”

The Cowboys play at Philadelphia in eight days. Schottenheimer said Dallas knows it can play better.

“No, not really. I mean, I think at the end of the day, I’m focused on the process of turning this around for myself, the players. Certainly not good enough. We’re disappointed with where we’re at. We know we need to play better. We know we can play better,” Schottenheimer said. “And I think at the end of the day, we’ve got the right guys to do that.”

Brian Schottenheimer Says The Dallas Cowboys Are Ready For A Win

Dallas has lost two straight, falling 24-16 at home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Oct. 8 before the loss at Lambeau Field. Schottenheimer spoke at his regular Monday news conference.

“I always like guys that are angry. I have a little of both. I’d say right now I’m pretty pissed off,” Schottenheimer explained. “I’m pissed off, yeah. I think they’re pissed off, too. Yeah, we’re ready for a win.”

The Cowboys trailed 17-0 at halftime Sunday and did not score until the third quarter. Schottenheimer said the players are focused on the right things.

“No, I think, yeah, we understand you guys have a job to do and like I said, I’ll never not take accountability for the fact that we’re two and four. It’s not what we planned on being. That’s not where the standard of what we’re trying to do is,” Schottenheimer said. “But again, I think at the end of the day these guys are focused on the right things and that’s it. We got to play better. We got to coach better, and it needs to start this week against Philadelphia.”

Schottenheimer is in his second season as the Cowboys’ coach. He said his message is the same whether Dallas wins or loses.

“Yeah, I mean, I’m always honest with these guys. I raise my voice a lot with these guys. You guys don’t hear it because you’re not out there. You’re not in meetings. But, again, how you get the message across to me is more about being up front and honest and direct. And that’s the way we talk, whether we win or we lose,” Schottenheimer said. “And I think it’s your responsibility as a head coach to paint the picture of why you either won or you lost. And that’s what we’ll do.”

Schottenheimer On Coaching Mistakes And Self-Scouting

Dallas was penalized 11 times for 108 yards and turned the ball over twice. Schottenheimer said communication and support issues are among the mistakes Dallas is repeating.

“You point them out. You point out the mistakes that are made, whether it’s a communication issue, whether it’s a support issue. You just keep teaching it, and then you give them the tools to eliminate those mistakes,” Schottenheimer said. “There’s always coaching points and tools and things that they can help, and then you ask to make sure they understand the why behind it. That’s the best way to do it.”

Schottenheimer also calls the Cowboys’ offensive plays. He said there are calls he second-guesses after games.

“Of course, yeah, for sure. There’s always calls that you make that you’re like, ah, man, did I give them the best chance to do that? And we’re very accountable to those as well,” Schottenheimer said.

The Cowboys self-scout each week. Schottenheimer said the process itself has not changed after a 2-4 start.

“No, I think we look at the self-scout to make sure we’re addressing the things that might be tips or trends that teams are onto. And then again, we’re very aware of, hey, if this is something that’s repeated, we either remove that call, that defense, that offensive play, because our guys don’t understand it, or we go back to the drawing board and make adjustments,” Schottenheimer said.

Monday gave the coaching staff a full day for that work before the players return. Schottenheimer said the staff leans on its analytics group.

“Yeah. I mean, we’re doing stuff on the grease board all the time, looking at different things, and we’re using John Park and his staff to help us with some stuff. And, again, they do a great job with us,” Schottenheimer said. “So, again, that’s the benefit of today, a chance to really dive into some more of those stuff.”

Dallas got back from Green Bay late Sunday night. The players report Tuesday, with an extra day of preparation before the Monday night game.

“Yeah, they’re good. I mean, matter of fact, disappointed and looking for solutions, and clearly wasn’t to the standard. And we always start with ourselves first, and then we’ll translate that to the players tomorrow,” Schottenheimer said.

The Philadelphia Eagles have lost four straight games. Schottenheimer said Tuesday starts with the Green Bay review.

“Trust the process. We got the Eagles this week and division game up there. So we focus on that, but first, tomorrow we’ll focus on the Green Bay game, the review, and get a jump start a little bit on Philly,” Schottenheimer said.

Dallas visits Philadelphia on Monday, Oct. 26, at Lincoln Financial Field. Kickoff is set for 7:15 p.m. CT on ESPN and ABC. The Eagles are also 2-4 after a 25-14 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.