FRISCO, Texas – When Super Bowl LIX rolls around next month, the Dallas Cowboys will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of the franchise’s 1995 Super Bowl championship.
That 1995 trophy was the last time Dallas raised the Lombardi Trophy and reached the NFC championship.
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In the first 30 seasons of the Super Bowl era, the Cowboys reached the Super Bowl more than 50% of the time (16). But now, Dallas has gone the longest without an NFC championship game appearance in the conference.
That fact alone should put into perspective how much pressure the Cowboys' front office is under to contend for a championship.
On Monday’s introductory press conference for new Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer, Dallas owner, president, and general manager Jerry Jones was asked how hiring Schottenheimer gets the Cowboys to the Super Bowl and what difference he can make from the Mike McCarthy era.
“What we have is an opportunity to take some of the very best things that are here in place from Mike’s doing, some of those very best things, and change some of that, add to it, and be better for that,” said Jerry Jones.
“A lot of people sometimes scratch their head, ‘Wow, why would you go with a first-time head coach?’” added Cowboys CEO Stephen Jones. “You know, that’s been the way of the league these days. Most are going with these young offensive wizards — that hadn’t been had coaches. But, I think we got a better version of that because of (Schottenheimer’s) experience.”
The Jones were quick to debunk the circulating topic amongst fans and the media that Schottenheimer was a safe pick — when, in fact, they believed hiring the son of the late, great Marty Schottenheimer was the riskiest decision.
“If you don’t think I can operate out of my comfort zone, you’re so wrong. It’s unbelievable. This is as big a risk as you could take. No head coaching experience,” explained Jerry Jones.
When the Jones dove deeper into their interviews with Schottenheimer, also known as Schotty, they revealed what set Schottenheimer apart.
“Schotty has fantastic support among our players, key players,” said Jerry Jones.
“I think Schotty is the perfect combination of keeping some continuity but also effecting change,” said Stephen Jones.
Schottenheimer agreed that his best attributes are communication and building relationships while also being motivated to bring a modernized approach to the offense.
“I thought for a while it might not happen, but it’s been a lifelong dream,” said Schottenheimer.
Schottenheimer was asked: ‘How do you want to be remembered when you leave the Dallas Cowboys one day?’
“Number one, as a champion,” answered Schottenheimer. “And number two, as someone that created one of the greatest cultures professional sports has ever seen.”
