I’ve always felt that this is essentially the last step the Cowboys organization would have to make to really make a Super Bowl run even over rosters.
Yes, we’ve had some top heavy rosters that have had some flaws, but we still had a few rosters that had lightning in a bottle potential that could’ve gone all the way if certain things broke right.
The thing that we’ve never had in the post Parcells era is an innovative and modern scheme paired with good in-game management from our coaching staff on both sides. If we are at a point now where our defense is running one of the more multiple and highly effective Fangio schemes, and our offense is running a modern hybrid effective offense where our plays and formations aren’t known beforehand as we’ve been ridiculed for in the past; then we genuinely have a chance if the roster is up to par.
In the back of my mind in every playoff game, especially in the divisional rounds. I’ve always known that we have the inferior coaching staff. This is from both a scheme and a game management standpoint. Jason Garrett predictable schemes, Marinelli’s predictable schemes, Mccarthy’s plays that Steve Young laughed about saying the team won’t win running the same old stuff; this might be the first time we have a modern and unique offense that challenges top tier coaches as opposed to being easily shut down by playoff caliber staffs.
No, last year there wasn’t enough of a change against those high power teams to make me think it’s been instituted since 2025, but if the coaching staff indeed takes a step forward in year two, Adams and Schottenheimer have that chemistry and hybrid offense grow to another level plus Parker’s scheme being what it’s billed to be then we might be able to make that step into a schematic advantage in playoff games as opposed to always being the lesser of the two coaching staffs.