Dak Prescott is entering his ninth season. He will play for his third head coach.
The Cowboys quarterback made it known to owner Jerry Jones during the hiring process that he wanted Brian Schottenheimer.
Prescott addressed Schottenheimer’s hiring for the first time in a scrum with the team’s beat writers Tuesday.
“Understanding the type of coach he is, the type of man he is, the way that he approaches the game, I think the best way to exemplify that is the son of a legendary football coach,” Prescott said of Schottenheimer, the son of former NFL head coach Marty Schottenheimer, via Tommy Yarrish of the team website. “He’s not going to take anything about this game lightly. He enjoys the work in it, kind of old fashioned.
“I’m looking forward to the grind and some things that we’re going to do, and [things] he’s going to add. Excited for him. I know he’s ready for it. He’s been in the system a long time.”
Schottenheimer has served as an assistant coach for 25 years, including the past two as the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator after a season with the team as a coaching analyst.
Schottenheimer did not call the plays, with Mike McCarthy doing that the past two seasons, but he did help put together the game plan.
“He was a big part in the on game process, which call was being made,” Prescott said. “I was on the headsets the latter part of the year [after being injured], so I heard all of that. Very professional guy who is ready and deserves every bit of this opportunity.”
Schottenheimer has mentioned a commitment to the running game. The Cowboys did not have a bellcow running back last season, taking a running back by committee approach with Rico Dowdle going over 1,000 yards.
Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, who grew up close to the Cowboys’ practice facility, could be a target in the first round or the team could select one later in the draft.
New offensive coordinator Klayton Adams was hired for the job based on what he did with the Cardinals’ run game.
“We just got to get to running the ball, being a little bit more consistent on that,” Prescott said. “Then, from there, go back and look at the numbers. I’ve always enjoyed play-action pass or just being able to get back to that, but you’ve got to start with the run game, and when you have that, the rest of the offense can open up.”
