I'm cautiously curious about Schotty

[MountaineerCowboy]

He may very well fail but that is yet to be seen. Some times people find the right job and everything clicks for them, at this point there is no reason to not have some optimism that at least he is a breath of fresh air and we some change.

Just remember, MC told ya so.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

Just remember, MC told ya so.

Nobody is saying we're expecting an NFCC appearance or better year one. What do you think cautiously curious means?

 

[MountaineerCowboy]

Whats foolish about being cautiously curious about our new coach? Where did I say I was expecting greatness?

I get it, I really do.

If you were honest with yourself about this situation then it kinda makes you give up on the season already and accepting that can be hard because you want your Sundays to be fun and exciting.

So, going against all logic and thinking that 9-8 is not only reasonable but would be considered "successful" for this loser HC hiring is just the state of the Cowboys, I suppose.

 

[MountaineerCowboy]

Exactly, and this is a coach who deserves a HC opportunity with his background

What?

So being a complete loser everywhere in your career and constantly being fired or demoted is someone that deserves a HC opportunity?

Jerry has you right where he wants you.

 

[75boyz]

Exactly, and this is a coach who deserves a HC opportunity with his background

Agree to disagree but no worries.

 

[TheCritic]

The way Cowboys fans are desperately trying to convince themselves that Jerry and Co see something that 9 other teams before didn't see should be studied in universities.

There's a good chance that the Schotty era will fail and I don't blame anyone who feels that this is just another smoke and mirrors attempt by the Jones Klan.

But I'm willing to wait and see what happens this season. Not expecting a return to the playoffs. I just want to see a return to physical football and a serious commitment to the running game.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Again, I hope no one thinks Schotty will be what holds us back from greatness.

The roster is what will do that.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

What?

So being a complete loser everywhere in your career and constantly being fired or demoted is someone that deserves a HC opportunity?

Jerry has you right where he wants you.

He's paid his dues, he got Mark Sanchez to the AFC Championship game twice, a lot of people like Dan Graziano and current UNC GM Michael Lombardi have high opinions of him, he had Seattle in the playoffs all 3 years he was there, and I could go on. Here's a fun fact, when you're a coordinator, and the Hc gets replaced, chances are, the coordinator does too. So I don't necessarily take too much stock into how many times a career coordinator gets sacked unless it's clear they're useless. From all accounts, that's not the case with Schotty.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

There's a good chance that the Schotty era will fail and I don't blame anyone who feels that this is just another smoke and mirrors attempt by the Jones Klan.

But I'm willing to wait and see what happens this season. Not expecting a return to the playoffs. I just want to see a return to physical football and a serious commitment to the running game.

Exactly, and I'm not expecting a playoff appearance this year either. Heck, I think the NFC wildcard spots will be Philly (I think Washington wins the division this year), Chicago, and Minnesota or Green Bay. I think we are too far away for a playoff appearance in 2025. But I do expect to see the makings of a better culture and system. That's reasonable imo.

 

[MountaineerCowboy]

He's paid his dues, he got Mark Sanchez to the AFC Championship game twice, a lot of people like Dan Graziano and current UNC GM Michael Lombardi have high opinions of him, he had Seattle in the playoffs all 3 years he was there, and I could go on. Here's a fun fact, when you're a coordinator, and the Hc gets replaced, chances are, the coordinator does too. So I don't necessarily take too much stock into how many times a career coordinator gets sacked unless it's clear they're useless. From all accounts, that's not the case with Schotty.

You're blinded by the star on his polo shirt.

If the Eagles, Giants, or Commanders hired this loser with his loser resume maybe you'd be able to be honest about him.

Don't forget that MC told ya so, but if ya do I'll be sure to remind ya.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

You're blinded by the star on his polo shirt.

If the Eagles, Giants, or Commanders hired this loser with his loser resume maybe you'd be able to be honest about him.

Don't forget that MC told ya so, but if ya do I'll be sure to remind ya.

I was listening to the likes of Graziano and Lombardi who worked with him. Look, maybe he sucks. And, tbf, 9-8 is more of a ceiling than an expectation. It's the highest expectation I have for the Cowboys in 2025. Even if we had Vrabel, I think 9-8 would be a reasonable ceiling. All I'm expecting for 2025 is for us to be looking like an improved team. I'm expecting us to stop the run better and score more touchdowns in the RedZone, which was an issue last season.

Sidenote, I've taken the liberty to look at the opponents we will have for 2025. Here they are:

Philly (x2)
NYG (x2)
Washington (x2)
Kansas City
Denver
LA Chargers
Raiders
Green Bay
Chicago
Detroit
Minnesota
Jets
Cardinals
Panthers

So, I think a reasonable ceiling (assuming the team stays healthy) is 9-8 at best. The floor is probably 4-13 (wins against the Giants twice, Panthers, and Jets). I think the most likely record is probably around 7-10. I think we probably sweep the Giants as usual. I think we probably beat the Jets. We probably beat the Panthers. I think we will probably split with Washington like last year or the Eagles (so either Eagles or Washington, which would be 5 wins). I think we probably edge out the Vikings. We probably beat the Raiders. And then finally, maybe we catch Chicago off guard (and hopefully I'll be at the game if it's on the Thursday during MFF so I can be there in fursuit).

The most important benchmarks (my bar for Schotty year 1) would be the following:
Better RedZone efficiency
Better run defence
Better run game
Much more physical play

I think those are reasonable benchmarks.

 

[MountaineerCowboy]

I was listening to the likes of Graziano and Lombardi who worked with him. Look, maybe he sucks. And, tbf, 9-8 is more of a ceiling than an expectation. It's the highest expectation I have for the Cowboys in 2025. Even if we had Vrabel, I think 9-8 would be a reasonable ceiling. All I'm expecting for 2025 is for us to be looking like an improved team. I'm expecting us to stop the run better and score more touchdowns in the RedZone, which was an issue last season.

Sidenote, I've taken the liberty to look at the opponents we will have for 2025. Here they are:

Philly (x2)
NYG (x2)
Washington (x2)
Kansas City
Denver
LA Chargers
Raiders
Green Bay
Chicago
Detroit
Minnesota
Jets
Cardinals
Panthers

So, I think a reasonable ceiling (assuming the team stays healthy) is 9-8 at best. The floor is probably 4-13 (wins against the Giants twice, Panthers, and Jets). I think the most likely record is probably around 7-10. I think we probably sweep the Giants as usual. I think we probably beat the Jets. We probably beat the Panthers. I think we will probably split with Washington like last year or the Eagles (so either Eagles or Washington, which would be 5 wins). I think we probably edge out the Vikings. We probably beat the Raiders. And then finally, maybe we catch Chicago off guard (and hopefully I'll be at the game if it's on the Thursday during MFF so I can be there in fursuit).

The most important benchmarks (my bar for Schotty year 1) would be the following:
Better RedZone efficiency
Better run defence
Better run game
Much more physical play

I think those are reasonable benchmarks.

A Dak/Schotty combo gets you 6 total wins at best.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

A Dak/Schotty combo gets you 6 total wins at best.

For this season, maybe. But Dak's strengths have typically been centred around running the ball and the play action. So, it would be reasonable to deduce that he should have a better season than last year. The question will be largely 1. His health, 2. The protection, and 3. Can he be better in the RedZone.

 

[Jipper]

Just remember, MC told ya so.

It's cool dude, I think we're looking at a 6-11 year but one in which we start to shift to a young group, hopefully 2026 is when we will start to be competitive again

 

[MountaineerCowboy]

It's cool dude, I think we're looking at a 6-11 year but one in which we start to shift to a young group, hopefully 2026 is when we will start to be competitive again

We won't really be competitive until Dak and Shotty are replaced with actual NFL caliber replacements.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

It's cool dude, I think we're looking at a 6-11 year but one in which we start to shift to a young group, hopefully 2026 is when we will start to be competitive again

Exactly, let's not forget, sometimes a lower record year one can be a good thing if it brings a higher pick and if we are showing signs of improvement. Given what he said and given the OC, I think the plan seems to be more physical. That's a good thing. I think year one can be fun IF the plan being implemented shows that it can work. I think a coach usually needs about 2-3 years for his system to be properly implemented, especially if it's a rookie coach. So, I'm willing to be patient with Schotty and see how things play out for the first couple of years.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

We won't really be competitive until Dak and Shotty are replaced with actual NFL caliber replacements.

Well, fwiw,. especially with the restructure, we can't do anything about Dak this year anyway. What we COULD do, like I've said before, is use this season to build a team that can compete in 2026 or beyond. Then, come 2026, draft a QB. Let him sit a year behind Dak like Jordan Love, Hurts, and Mahomes, and others have done. Then when the replacement is ready (an advantage of having a veteran QB under contract), we can put the replacement in and send Dak on his merry way in 2027 with a June 1 cut.

 

[DuncanIso]

10-7 is possible

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

10-7 is possible

It is. However, the important thing for 2025 is for the team to be more efficient in the RedZone, for us to become more physical, and for us to position ourselves for better success in 2026. If we have a great record and make the playoffs, wonderful! If not, that's okay as long as the team is showing improvement from last year and shows that 2026 will be more successful. I think, especially since the Joneses are cheap at FA, we are probably at least a year or two away from being able to compete effectively. Plus, given Dak's age and health issues, it is getting close to time to have a replacement sitting a year behind him (2026 at the earliest). So, we also want to be building a team that will work with the replacement. Plus, we have the advantage to where we could take a QB round 1 in 2026 (in all likelihood). Then, we can let the QB sit for a year behind Dak to learn and position the team for him.

 

[GINeric]

The way Cowboys fans are desperately trying to convince themselves that Jerry and Co see something that 9 other teams before didn't see should be studied in universities.

I said the same thing when people were claiming that Cooper Rush was better than an All-Pro, MVP candidate on our team that plays the same position as Rush.

The people who thought that never could explain how Rush was better than top ten All-Pro quarterbacks yet, he spent most of his career bouncing on and off of practice squads.

When i asked those people if Rush was so good, why haven't he ever landed a starting job or max contract in the 8 or 9 years he's been in the league? You mean to tell me 31 other coaches and GMs missed this secret talent that Rush has?

Yep, all those folks who claimed Rush was the best quarterback on our roster because of a winning streak that the defense carried him on, should ALL be drug tested AND studied in universities.