The Cowboys walked into Sunday’s game against the Jets in a bit of a mess. They were starting four backup offensive linemen, a situation head coach Brian Schottenheimer doesn’t recall ever experiencing before, with more starters on both sides of the ball also out due to injury. Yet somehow, Schottenheimer and his coaching crew made chicken salad out of, well, you know the saying.
During Monday’s press conference, Schottenheimer was sure to point out how much he depended on offensive coordinator Klayton Adams and offensive line coach Conor Riley to make sure the backups can hold the line. “Klayton, number one, is an excellent football coach,” Schottenheimer said, “He has a tough job. When you’re the coordinator for a guy that’s the head coach and the play caller, I’ve lived it with Mike. It could be hard, right?” He went on to explain that Adams is invested in the trenches and dedicated to making sure even the replacements can get the job done. “He loves coaching o-line. He’s in there every chance he gets…” he said of Adams, “It’s the fundamentals, man. It’s what they do in the classroom, not just teaching scheme, but the fundamentals… I listen to them talk about hand placement and footwork and strain and eyes under the chin and things like that. That’s that’s the stuff that as a head coach you get really excited about because I’m a believer of fundamentals.”
Pods: Not just for coffee anymore
According to Schottenheimer, here’s how the coaches make their system work: instead of piling everyone in one giant, never-ending meeting, they break into “pods.” Imagine a high school group project, but everyone actually pulls their weight.
“There’s basically a run pod and a pass pod and it differs and changes…” the head coach explained, “We have what’s called checkpoint meetings where we come together about four or five times before we sit down on Tuesday afternoon and kind of finalize the first and second down game plan.”
“Klayton really drives the run pod,” he continued, “I drive the pass pod, and then he and I usually get together on Monday night… Tuesday we come in early and we go back to our pods and we get the ideas from the other guys and then he and I kind of get together for about an hour and make sure there’s some marriage and stuff.”
Then they all meet, toss around ideas (and probably the occasional pen), and poke holes in each other’s game plans before anything is final.
Depth is the Cowboys’ secret weapon
Schottenheimer gave a “ton of credit” to his staff, calling them “elite coaches” and praising their plans. Still, he admitted, “We have to come up with plans that we think feature what [the players] do well along with attacking your opponent.” But once it’s game time? “At the end of the day, the players are the ones that make it come to life…the players are the magic.”
He even gave the front office a pat on the back for their role in providing the depth that made Sunday’s victory possible. “We’re very active in free agency, trying to get depth… Injuries are nothing new around here.”
No matter how wild Sundays get, Schottenheimer’s crew is built to roll with the punches, so long as the players keep bringing the magic, and the coaches keep the plan loose enough to handle whatever curveballs come their way.
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Schottenheimer explains coaching strategy that led to win vs. Jets
