The Cowboys coach draws a clear line between the two types of locker-room meetings, and he knows which one is his defense.
The Dallas Cowboys’ defense has drawn a lot of criticism this season, and a gathering of players only adds to the noise. Brian Schottenheimer doesn’t buy the idea that the gathering is a bad omen.
Former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin made waves earlier this week when he weighed in on the Cowboys’ defense meeting on the New Heights podcast. Tomlin’s judgment was blunt on teams holding player-only meetings.
“I thought you were dead,” Tomlin said.
Schottenheimer offered a different perspective when asked about it on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic.
“I think they’re very, very different. I’ve been in the league a long time. I have a lot of respect for Mike. It depends on the type of meeting,” Schottenheimer said. “If you go to a meeting and the players’ meeting is just an ab**** session, I don’t think that’s a good thing. Honestly, I know it’s not a good thing.”
The Cowboys head coach pointed to the leadership behind this particular meet as the difference.
“But when you have leaders like Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark and people like that who drive the meeting with a purpose and they talk about the things that they talked about in that meeting, I don’t think that’s a bad thing,” Schottenheimer said. “I think it shows ownership on their part.”
“Their pride is real. They want to be great. They want to win,” Schottenheimer said. “I certainly wasn’t at the meeting, but I talked to the guys who led it, and it seemed like a very productive meeting with solution-oriented conversations.”
The meeting follows a 24-16 home loss to the previously winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers that dropped Dallas to 2-3. The defense has been a big problem, allowing 395.4 yards per game, the second most in the NFL.
Williams has been publicly blamed, saying he takes “full responsibility and full responsibility for the way this defense is currently running.” He declined to share details about what was said, telling reporters he would keep it to himself.
Dallas will have a chance to show if the meeting made a difference Sunday night, when the Cowboys visit the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.
The Dallas Cowboys’ defense has drawn a lot of criticism this season, and a gathering of players only adds to the noise. Brian Schottenheimer doesn’t buy the idea that the gathering is a bad omen. Former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin made waves earlier this week when he weighed in on the Cowboys’ defense meeting on the New Heights podcast.