Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones defends Brian Schottenheimer as new head coach amid criticism
FRISCO — Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones defended Brian Schottenheimer as his choice for head coach during a news conference Monday.
Fans and pundits alike have been criticizing his pick.
"Doesn't look like they're really going out to try to improve anything, looks like it's status quo," said fan Wesley Bryan.
Schottenheimer spent the past two seasons as offensive coordinator for the Cowboys. The Cowboys are handing him the reins less than two weeks after parting ways with Mike McCarthy.
During a news conference announcing the hire, Jones acknowledged the criticism of his pick, then shot it down.
"If you don't think I can operate out of my comfort zone, you're so wrong," he said. "It's unbelievable. This is as big a risk as you could take. As big a risk as you could take. No head coaching experience."
Schottenheimer has more than 20 years of NFL experience, but this will be his first head coaching job.
"I know the players," said Schottenheimer. "I know the building. I know our strengths, our weaknesses. I know our issues. And the more and more we got into conversations, sitting around and just discussing different things, I wanted it even more."
Some fans said they are willing to give him a chance.
"I don't hate on it," said fan Cody Walker. "Deion [Sanders] would have been cool, would have been dope, brought some hype around the team, but I think we got a good decision on our hands so let's see what we do."
Both Jones and Schottenheimer say they're ready to prove to the fans "Schotty" is the best shot to take the team to new heights.
