Monday was a significant day for Jerry Jones, the owner and general manager of the Dallas Cowboys, who was visibly emotional as Brian Schottenheimer was introduced as the team’s new head coach. This introduction came just days after some media outlets accused the Cowboys and Jones of dumping the news of Schottenheimer’s hiring late on a Friday night.
The local media acted as Jones’ judge as he presented Schottenheimer as the new head coach while addressing the ongoing narrative about his tendency to hire from a “comfort zone” — a choice that seemingly no one anticipated. Despite his efforts, he inadvertently criticized Schottenheimer in an attempt to deflect that stereotype. Classic Jerry.
“Now, I get my proverbial ass kicked over needing people in my comfort zone,” Jones stated. “Without this thing being about me in any way, if you don’t think I can operate outside my comfort zone, you are so wrong — it’s unbelievable. This (hiring Schottenheimer) is as big a risk as you can take… No head coaching experience.”
Jerry Jones on hiring Brian Schottenheimer:
“If you don’t think I can operate outside my comfort zone, you are so wrong. This (hiring Schottenheimer) is as big a risk as you can take. No head coaching experience.”pic.twitter.com/hOUAw8mJ6H
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 27, 2025
However, this did not provide a resounding endorsement for Schottenheimer. Unlike Schottenheimer, new hires like Aaron Glenn, Ben Johnson, and Liam Coen didn’t have their owners touch on such risk during their introductory press conferences, nor did they seek recognition for choosing a less conventional approach.
“Let me share something with that,” Jones continued, referencing Schottenheimer’s background. “Anybody in this room that doesn’t believe the apple doesn’t go far from the tree has missed it someplace down the road — especially if there was an effort to make it that way, and there was an effort. Consider the countless number of coaches Schotty has worked with and the players he has encountered over his career; how often do you come across someone with 25 years of relationship-building and genuine curiosity about techniques that enhance coaching?”
Yet, this is the same Jones who, when asked about his decision-making process for hiring Schottenheimer, deferred into a lengthy soliloquy about his own experiences, his frequent attendance at the Senior Bowl, and his aspirations to be a coach, without directly answering the question posed.
Jerry Jones was asked why he hired Brian Schottenheimer and went on a rant about how he has basically never missed a Senior Bowl or NFL Combine and how he wanted to be a coach and a bunch of other stuff and went on for several minutes without ever actually talking about Brian
— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) January 27, 2025
In conclusion, while Jones aimed to dispel the narrative surrounding his “comfort zone” hires, he ended up sidestepping the focus onto Schottenheimer, leaving the new head coach somewhat exposed in the process.
