Brian Schottenheimer credits time with Pete Carroll in helping become a more well-rounded coach

By Canadian Press on August 14, 2025.

OXNARD, Calif. (AP) — The tactical part of football came easy to Brian Schottenheimer, but the other aspects of what it takes to be a head coach had to be developed before finally getting the opportunity he always wanted with the Dallas Cowboys this season.

The philosophical, organizational and interpersonal pieces came to him during and after Schottenheimer’s three-season stint as offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks under then-coach Pete Carroll, which in turn set the stage for the 51-year-old Schottenheimer to get his chance.

The foundation was set when Schottenheimer arrived in Seattle. Carroll recognized Schottenheimer, the son of longtime NFL head coach Marty Schottenheimer, knew how to draw up an offensive scheme.

“He goes, ‘But do you really know what you believe in?’ Like, he challenged me, I think it was the first day he hired me,” Brian Schottenheimer said. “He said, ‘Do you really know what you believe in, and what a practice should look like, and what the identity of your defense should look like, and, you know, what’s the practice going to look like?’ And I just kind of paused, and I was like, ‘Man.’ It’s like, ‘I can’t answer that right now, I guess I don’t know.’”

Schottenheimer had long desired to become the youngest head coach in the league. After being named the offensive coordinator for the New York Jets in 2006, he admits to being overly focused on trying to build an offense so prolific that someone would have to hire him for a top job.

There had been some solid moments in his time with the Jets under Eric Mangini and Rex Ryan, less so with the Rams under Jeff Fisher in St. Louis. It took Carroll’s approach to get Schottenheimer to realize the other components off the field are just as important to success as being a great play caller.

“I mean, Jeff was a fun-loving players’ coach. Rex was a wild man, in a good way. Eric Mangini was very much like coach (Bill) Belichick. My dad was certainly, you know, a certain way. I chuckle on that one,” Schottenheimer said.

“But I just think, when I watched Pete, and I was sitting in the meetings, and whether was a staff meeting or a team meeting, there was just so many things that I was like, ‘You know what, I do believe that.’”

Carroll’s relentless desire to create competition was an aspect that particularly captivated Schottenheimer. The phrase, “Compete every day,” was seen and heard throughout Cowboys training camp, and with no set depth chart, Schottenheimer looked to make sure players are rewarded in practice when they rise to that aim. There are also battles off the field, with basketball a particular favorite during the summer stint in Southern California.

“I’ve always been a competitor, whether I’m good at something or not, I’m going to try to find a way to win. I don’t always find a way to win, but I’m going to try. And so I think he caught me at the right time,” Schottenheimer said of Carroll.

Schottenheimer also felt the consequences of Carroll’s demanding pursuit of excellence. Despite overseeing three straight top-10 scoring offenses during his time in Seattle from 2018-20, Schottenheimer was fired in January 2021 over “philosophical differences.”

During an extensive self-debrief following his dismissal in an effort to determine his next step, Schottenheimer tried to figure out what mattered most to him. Schottenheimer found himself looking back on his time as a college quarterback when Florida won the national championship in 1996.

“I don’t remember the exact score of the (Sugar Bowl) game when we beat Florida State. I don’t remember the score of the game, the first game of the year. But I remember times in the locker room, hanging out with my teammates, James Bates, Lawrence Wright, Sammy McCorkle, you know, Ike Hilliard. I remember that,” Schottenheimer said.

That led Schottenheimer to work on building better relationships, including when he became Cowboys offensive coordinator in 2023 after spending a year as an analyst, and it has become an even greater emphasis after being named head coach on Jan. 24.

Branching out

After spending his career being locked in on one side of the ball, Schottenheimer has gone out of his way to get to know every player. He has extended that directive to the entire coaching staff, making it a point to have offensive coaches interact with defensive players during warmups and vice versa.

“Sometimes, especially as an offensive line coach, it’s very easy that you get very tribal, and tribal meaning just (be) with that group,” first-year assistant Conor Riley said. “His encouragement in asking us to go build those relationships, and now when I’m seeing guys in the hall, they’re just not a face.

“It’s, you know, how much do we work with the defensive backs? I love going over there, tapping those guys up every day, saying a short message to them very briefly. And it really builds that connection within the football team.”

Those aren’t the only steps Schottenheimer has taken in an effort to build a collective effort. He mostly bypasses 7-on-7 passing drills and other specialized work to instead highlight periods that require all 22 players, with his distaste for throwing without a pass rush coming from personal experience.

“Really, the biggest thing is the game is such a team game,” Schottenheimer said. “And I’ve always felt like — and maybe because I was actually pretty good in 7-on-7 back in college when I was a (expletive) quarterback — it’s just such an easy drill. I mean, you’re like, ‘Ah, he’s open. He’s open. OK, nobody’s open, but nobody’s rushing me, so, like, OK, what do I do now?’ It’s just not realistic.”

All those touches are why special teams coordinator Nick Sorensen, who is working with Schottenheimer for the third time, is confident he’s ready for this moment.

“I’ve always felt like that was his role, you know, in being around him,” Sorensen said. “And you see certain guys and the way that they carry themselves, in the way that they coach. And you just, I saw it in him, whether I was in Seattle or whether I was in Jacksonville with him, I knew that this was the next step. And I felt like he’s been ready for this for a long time, and he’s gotten this opportunity, he’s been outstanding.”

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Dan Greenspan, The Associated Press