FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Wednesday that San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner is “one of the best of all time” at punching the ball out, and that Dallas ball carriers “better have two hands on the ball” around him Sunday.
The 49ers forced five turnovers in their last game, a win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Warner and fellow linebacker Dre Greenlaw each recovered a fumble. Dallas lost two fumbles in Sunday’s 27-23 win over the Indianapolis Colts.
Schottenheimer met with reporters before practice Wednesday at The Star.
“You show clips, you talk about it,” Schottenheimer said. “He’s one of the best of all time. He’s one of the guys that you would say, I mean, there’s always intent. You watch him. I mean, he’s like a boxer with a sweet right hand, hook, uppercut.”
“I mean, when he comes flying in there, he’s just got an innate ability to knock it out a little bit, like Watt in Pittsburgh, those certain guys just have that innate ability, but awareness of him,” Schottenheimer continued. “He’s an incredible football player. He drives their defense. He makes all the calls. But when you’re in a pile or when he’s around, you better have two hands on the ball.”
Martyball And The Turnover Math
The broader subject came up through a question about the 1981 NFC Championship Game, which San Francisco won 28-27 over Dallas on Dwight Clark’s catch. Schottenheimer’s father, Marty Schottenheimer, won 200 regular-season games as an NFL head coach.
“Shoot, I remember my dad talking about it many, many years ago,” Schottenheimer explained. “It’s something that Martyball was kind of based on. Run the football, win the turnover battle. But I think as analytics continues to grow, more and more people have seen, and the numbers are pretty consistent over the past, whatever it is, 20, 25 years.”
“I think plus-3 is 90%, plus-2 is 80%, and plus-1 is like 75%,” Schottenheimer continued. “So we’re all looking for an edge, and that’s a big part of it.”
San Francisco’s fast starts came up separately.
“Well, number one, they play from the lead a lot,” Schottenheimer said. “I think you look at them; they start fast. That’s something that Kyle historically has done a really good job of trying to jump on people early, letting that defense settle in.”
“But the other thing they did, they got five turnovers in the second half,” Schottenheimer continued. “First play of the second half, pick-six, and big momentum swings. So, very, very talented defense.”
Nick Sorensen’s ‘All About The Ball’ Roots
Schottenheimer was the Seattle Seahawks’ offensive coordinator under Pete Carroll from 2018 to 2020. Nick Sorensen, now the Cowboys’ special teams coordinator, was also on Carroll’s staff in Seattle.
Schottenheimer stayed on the turnover subject to describe when the ball-stripping emphasis reached his own staffs.
“I remember in Seattle going and hearing actually Nick Sorensen,” Schottenheimer said. “He did the ‘All About the Ball’ for Pete Carroll. And showing Peanut Tillman in the punch-outs, and then I was in Jacksonville, and same thing. I mean, everybody now emphasizes that you can see it.”
“Guys don’t just go to tackle anymore,” Schottenheimer continued. “There’s an intent with their eyes. There’s an intent with their elbow, how they kind of want to punch it out, and it’s kind of become just the norm. Whereas I remember when I first got into football, it was just a wrap a guy up, get him on the ground.”
“Now there’s intent of I’m closing on the guy. I’m the first in. I’m the guy’s got to get a shot, but I also can take a shot at the ball,” Schottenheimer added. “The next guy in, he’s got a plan to try to go pry his fingers off the ball. So it’s very coordinated, much more coordinated now than it was probably back then.”
The Cowboys (4-5) host the 49ers (7-1) on Sunday at AT&T Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3:25 p.m. CT on Fox.
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