Coaching Philosophy

[Ranching]

Hear me out for a bit....in my experience, a HC is ultimately responsible for the team's performance....win or lose. So, when I say that Schotty needs to have his pulse on every play and every situation, some either disagree or misunderstand me. Let me explain....as a HC, you are responsible for the flow of the game....what I mean by this is, if our defense is coming off the field, tired, beaten, confused, they need time to rest and adjust....meet with the DC and position coaches. In the meantime, an OC isn't worried about that...what's to stop them from going out, three straight incomplete passes, punt and put the defense right back on the field? The HC is! An OC is on the 1 yard line and wants to dropback and throw a deep pass, risking a safety, what's to stop him from doing that? The HC is! A DC, wants to blow a TO to talk to his players because the OC went three and out....what's to stop him from blowing a TO that we made need later? The HC! Clock management, who is in charge of that, because the coordinators are to busy calling the game? The HC! Substitution, tired or banged up player needs to come out....who is in charge of that? The HC! Telling the ST coordinator, squib kick it and take a few seconds off the clock, so they don't get good field position and have time for a pass, TO and FG to win the game? The HC is! Who tells the QB, if he's open in the corner of the end zone, throw it to him for the win, if he's covered like a blanket, throw it away! The HC is! Some see it as micromanaging, it is...but, if done correctly and without undermining his staff in front of his players, it's a must...at least in my eyes. It's also a lot of fun! Even the 90 hour work weeks.
Now, that said, who thinks Schotty is doing all of these things, or who thinks he should?

Go Cowboys!

 

[maryquality]

Great post!!

 

[nate dizzle]

Schnotty has his hands full just trying to figure out how to get Dak to forgive him for Baltimore.

 

[fivetwos]

Yeah I think a team puts itself at a disadvantage by asking the HC to also call plays.

You just can’t manage it all correctly. What if there’s personnel decisions to be contemplated on the other side of the ball while the HC is tied up calling plays?

Of course Jerry and son like to save a salary by doing that when they can. Shoddy is just the perfect package for these two.

 

[Gangsta Spanksta]

I don't think Schotty is a good HC. I've always been a never Schotty, who never thought he should've gotten hired. I also not one who thinks that the Head Coach should be the play caller either, unless he has shown he can handle both. That's more of a modern trend that I've never been a fan of. I'm not going to agree that the HC/Play Caller should micromanage a quarterback either. That sort of reminds me how the US military was different from many of the other militaries during that war, and even today. I mean in Ukraine for example, you had russians generals too close to the troops because they don't have Sargents commanding troops, which is kind of like what a quarterback should be.

Anyway, ultimately, yes, shoddy sucks and should be fired. Hard for me to blame a puppet. The quarterback still should be an on the field commander of his troops. Do we have anyone on Defense who is a leader? If we somehow do make it to the Playoffs because the NFC Least has four bad teams this year, I don't see us going anywhere. Of course I'll talk myself into thinking we can win gametime, like I always do, but being honest here.

 

[Ranching]

I don't think Schotty is a good HC. I've always been a never Schotty, who never thought he should've gotten hired. I also not one who thinks that the Head Coach should be the play caller either, unless he has shown he can handle both. That's more of a modern trend that I've never been a fan of. I'm not going to agree that the HC/Play Caller should micromanage a quarterback either. That sort of reminds me how the US military was different from many of the other militaries during that war, and even today. I mean in Ukraine for example, you had russians generals too close to the troops because they don't have Sargents commanding troops, which is kind of like what a quarterback should be.

Anyway, ultimately, yes, shoddy sucks and should be fired. Hard for me to blame a puppet. The quarterback still should be an on the field commander of his troops. Do we have anyone on Defense who is a leader? If we somehow do make it to the Playoffs because the NFC Least has four bad teams this year, I don't see us going anywhere. Of course I'll talk myself into thinking we can win gametime, like I always do, but being honest here.

I'm hoping he turns it around. We can't afford to waste time on a new coach, unless it's a stud, like a Tomlin

 

[Gangsta Spanksta]

Yeah I think a team puts itself at a disadvantage by asking the HC to also call plays.

It's a bad trend that started sometime back. I mean Jimmy Johnson at one time was a Defensive Coordinator, before he became a Head Coach of a college team. Did we see him making calls here? No, because a head coach has other jobs and being a coordinator at the same time would detract from those. Should someone who is head coaching for their first time, be making calls? To me, there should be a coordinators and the only time a HC takes over for them is if those guys become a liability and will get replaced at the end of the season, or they maybe proven they can multitask.

 

[Gangsta Spanksta]

I'm hoping he turns it around. We can't afford to waste time on a new coach, unless it's a stud, like a Tomlin

I don't like that our GM is never getting the best available coach or someone who has just shown themselves to be a genius offensive or defensive mind in the superbowl. At least Barry Switzer had a rep in college. Chan Gaily? Dave Campo? Wade Philips? I mean those still make me scratch my head. Jerry seems to be as good at picking head coaches these days as he was in drafting players before the board room approach got put in place. Not good at spotting talent because he is not a football guy. He lucked into Jimmy because they were team mates.

 

[Rockport]

Hear me out for a bit....in my experience, a HC is ultimately responsible for the team's performance....win or lose. So, when I say that Schotty needs to have his pulse on every play and every situation, some either disagree or misunderstand me. Let me explain....as a HC, you are responsible for the flow of the game....what I mean by this is, if our defense is coming off the field, tired, beaten, confused, they need time to rest and adjust....meet with the DC and position coaches. In the meantime, an OC isn't worried about that...what's to stop them from going out, three straight incomplete passes, punt and put the defense right back on the field? The HC is! An OC is on the 1 yard line and wants to dropback and throw a deep pass, risking a safety, what's to stop him from doing that? The HC is! A DC, wants to blow a TO to talk to his players because the OC went three and out....what's to stop him from blowing a TO that we made need later? The HC! Clock management, who is in charge of that, because the coordinators are to busy calling the game? The HC! Substitution, tired or banged up player needs to come out....who is in charge of that? The HC! Telling the ST coordinator, squib kick it and take a few seconds off the clock, so they don't get good field position and have time for a pass, TO and FG to win the game? The HC is! Who tells the QB, if he's open in the corner of the end zone, throw it to him for the win, if he's covered like a blanket, throw it away! The HC is! Some see it as micromanaging, it is...but, if done correctly and without undermining his staff in front of his players, it's a must...at least in my eyes. It's also a lot of fun! Even the 90 hour work weeks.
Now, that said, who thinks Schotty is doing all of these things, or who thinks he should?

Go Cowboys!

I don’t see how a HC who is also the OC CAN do all of that at the level of focus needed. But, he’s not the only HC/OC. Curious about what you think of that?

 

[slick325]

I can't disagree with anything you stated, Ranching. You are correct.

The problem is...Jerry Jones, of late, has been adamant about his HC not just being a "walk around" coach who oversees everything while delegating to assistants. He wanted Garrett calling plays and running the offense. He wanted McCarthy calling plays and running the offense. He wants Schotty to call plays and run the offense. Not sure if Jerry feels he is getting more bang for his buck.

The two "walk around" coaches I think of most in Dallas under Jerry are Jimmy Johnson and Bill Parcels. Both of those coaches were the face of the franchise and the people the coaches and players looked at as in charge in Dallas. In charge of personnel, culture, practice, gameday, post-game, everything. I don't think Jerry wants to go back to that at all even if it meant success.

I could be completely off base here. Other HCs have handled it just how you described @Ranching who also had the responsibility of calling plays and have had success. Andy Reid, Sean McVay, Kyle Shanahan, and others.

I just feel Jerry Jones neuters his head coaches with his over the top always involved ways.

 

[Ranching]

I don’t see how a HC who is also the OC CAN do all of that at the level of focus needed. But, he’s not the only HC/OC. Curious about what you think of that?

You have to trust your staff and be able to multitask.....the good ones let staff adjust on the sidelines and they keep an eye on the game.

 

[Captain-Crash]

Hear me out for a bit....in my experience, a HC is ultimately responsible for the team's performance....win or lose. So, when I say that Schotty needs to have his pulse on every play and every situation, some either disagree or misunderstand me. Let me explain....as a HC, you are responsible for the flow of the game....what I mean by this is, if our defense is coming off the field, tired, beaten, confused, they need time to rest and adjust....meet with the DC and position coaches. In the meantime, an OC isn't worried about that...what's to stop them from going out, three straight incomplete passes, punt and put the defense right back on the field? The HC is! An OC is on the 1 yard line and wants to dropback and throw a deep pass, risking a safety, what's to stop him from doing that? The HC is! A DC, wants to blow a TO to talk to his players because the OC went three and out....what's to stop him from blowing a TO that we made need later? The HC! Clock management, who is in charge of that, because the coordinators are to busy calling the game? The HC! Substitution, tired or banged up player needs to come out....who is in charge of that? The HC! Telling the ST coordinator, squib kick it and take a few seconds off the clock, so they don't get good field position and have time for a pass, TO and FG to win the game? The HC is! Who tells the QB, if he's open in the corner of the end zone, throw it to him for the win, if he's covered like a blanket, throw it away! The HC is! Some see it as micromanaging, it is...but, if done correctly and without undermining his staff in front of his players, it's a must...at least in my eyes. It's also a lot of fun! Even the 90 hour work weeks.
Now, that said, who thinks Schotty is doing all of these things, or who thinks he should?

Go Cowboys!

I'm glad you brought this up because it feels like there's a total lack of a cohesive game plan right now. It honestly looks like the coordinators are just doing whatever they want, and nobody is stepping up to rein them in or take control of the game flow.
When the defense is totally confused or gassed, and the offense immediately goes out and throws three straight incompletions to stop the clock, that’s a massive failure at the top. The coordinators are always going to have tunnel vision because they're trapped in their own playbooks. That's why the HC exists—to look at the bigger picture and manage the actual game.
If the HC isn't overriding a bad situational call, or forcing the offense to help out a struggling defense, then what is he actually doing on the sideline? It’s not undermining your staff to tell them, "Hey, we're changing the approach for this drive because the game is getting away from us." It's literally the job description. You're completely right; he needs to have his pulse on every single play, because right now it looks like nobody is steering the ship.

 

[StarLord]

I'm not sure Shoddy is even aware that we have a defense or STs.

I say this somewhat in jest.. somewhat.

 

[Captain-Crash]

You hit the nail on the head, and anyone disagreeing with this hasn't been watching the same games. A head coach isn't just a cheerleader or a figurehead; they are the ultimate quality control. When the coordinators are completely out of sync, it is 100% on the HC to step in and fix it.

The OC is calling plays like he's playing Madden in his basement, completely oblivious to the fact that our defense just spent 10 minutes on the field getting chewed up. Going three-and-out in 45 seconds because you want to force deep shots when the defense is gassed is a failure of game management.

 

[BlindFaith]

Hear me out for a bit....in my experience, a HC is ultimately responsible for the team's performance....win or lose. So, when I say that Schotty needs to have his pulse on every play and every situation, some either disagree or misunderstand me. Let me explain....as a HC, you are responsible for the flow of the game....what I mean by this is, if our defense is coming off the field, tired, beaten, confused, they need time to rest and adjust....meet with the DC and position coaches. In the meantime, an OC isn't worried about that...what's to stop them from going out, three straight incomplete passes, punt and put the defense right back on the field? The HC is! An OC is on the 1 yard line and wants to dropback and throw a deep pass, risking a safety, what's to stop him from doing that? The HC is! A DC, wants to blow a TO to talk to his players because the OC went three and out....what's to stop him from blowing a TO that we made need later? The HC! Clock management, who is in charge of that, because the coordinators are to busy calling the game? The HC! Substitution, tired or banged up player needs to come out....who is in charge of that? The HC! Telling the ST coordinator, squib kick it and take a few seconds off the clock, so they don't get good field position and have time for a pass, TO and FG to win the game? The HC is! Who tells the QB, if he's open in the corner of the end zone, throw it to him for the win, if he's covered like a blanket, throw it away! The HC is! Some see it as micromanaging, it is...but, if done correctly and without undermining his staff in front of his players, it's a must...at least in my eyes. It's also a lot of fun! Even the 90 hour work weeks.
Now, that said, who thinks Schotty is doing all of these things, or who thinks he should?

Go Cowboys!

Coaching in the NFL isnt the same as coaching in high school.

And coaching in the NFL today isnt what it was when Landry was creating an entirely new defense.

So what is a head coach? What is coaching at the NFL level? Ideally he is the one to bring in assistants. The OC and DC. They bring in their staff. Due to Jerry, I think we have been dysfunctional across the board there.

Game day, 95% is on the players when it comes to high school and college. No real time to break down film of other teams.

Thats the big difference. And wht Pettine was brought in. Why guys like Gruden became famous. Understanding the other team.

What we have in Shoddy and CP are two guys that can draw up plays. What they are lacking is the ability to change week to week based off of what the opponent does.

Belicheck was known for this. Literally changing his offense and defense on a weekly basis. But you have to have super smart players to do that. Brady was that.

 

[xwalker]

Hear me out for a bit....in my experience, a HC is ultimately responsible for the team's performance....win or lose. So, when I say that Schotty needs to have his pulse on every play and every situation, some either disagree or misunderstand me. Let me explain....as a HC, you are responsible for the flow of the game....what I mean by this is, if our defense is coming off the field, tired, beaten, confused, they need time to rest and adjust....meet with the DC and position coaches. In the meantime, an OC isn't worried about that...what's to stop them from going out, three straight incomplete passes, punt and put the defense right back on the field? The HC is! An OC is on the 1 yard line and wants to dropback and throw a deep pass, risking a safety, what's to stop him from doing that? The HC is! A DC, wants to blow a TO to talk to his players because the OC went three and out....what's to stop him from blowing a TO that we made need later? The HC! Clock management, who is in charge of that, because the coordinators are to busy calling the game? The HC! Substitution, tired or banged up player needs to come out....who is in charge of that? The HC! Telling the ST coordinator, squib kick it and take a few seconds off the clock, so they don't get good field position and have time for a pass, TO and FG to win the game? The HC is! Who tells the QB, if he's open in the corner of the end zone, throw it to him for the win, if he's covered like a blanket, throw it away! The HC is! Some see it as micromanaging, it is...but, if done correctly and without undermining his staff in front of his players, it's a must...at least in my eyes. It's also a lot of fun! Even the 90 hour work weeks.
Now, that said, who thinks Schotty is doing all of these things, or who thinks he should?

Go Cowboys!

I always appreciate your posts.

I'm not clear on your point with this post.

My opinion is that either they don't have enough talent OR they are not executing uo to their talent.

Not executing is 90% or more based on practice/meetings.
- Scheme, technique, etc.. are installed in practice.
- I was at the 92 and 93 training camps.
- The vast majority of Jimmy's stamp on the team was in the non-game-time stuff.
- As guys like Darren Woodson have often said, the games were the easy part

Why can't Ferguson catch or block anymore?
- I don't see how a coach can change that on game day.

 

[Captain-Crash]

It feels like Schotty is way too buried in his play sheet, worrying about the next offensive call, rather than actually watching the game flow. When the offense goes ultra-fast and ignores time of possession, it leaves a struggling defense completely out to dry. A real head coach needs to see that macro picture, slow the game down, and put the team in a position to win—not just play Madden on the sideline