Brian Schottenheimer Emphasizes His Effort After Loss to Rams

It was a night Brian Schottenheimer had been waiting for his entire coaching career. After more than three decades in the NFL — from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator — the 51-year-old finally walked into a stadium as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. Standing beside team owner Jerry Jones at SoFi Stadium before kickoff, Schottenheimer admitted the moment hit him harder than he expected. (Video Below)

“I’ll remember this day for a long time,” Schottenheimer said. “That felt pretty cool.”

The game itself, however, was a reminder that sentiment only goes so far in football. Dallas opened sluggishly, managing just one yard on six first-quarter plays while the Rams ripped off 160 yards and two touchdowns. Missed assignments and shaky execution left the Cowboys chasing the game almost from the first snap.

Things improved after halftime. Rookie running back Phil Mafah provided a burst of energy with decisive runs, and the defensive front began winning battles at the line of scrimmage. The Cowboys closed the gap and showed flashes of the physical, disciplined style Schottenheimer wants to establish. But the early hole proved too deep, and Dallas fell 31–21 in its preseason opener.

The most glaring issue was discipline. The Cowboys were flagged 11 times for 95 yards, a total that included a surprising unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on star receiver CeeDee Lamb — who wasn’t even in uniform — after an altercation near the sideline.

Schottenheimer didn’t hesitate to address it.

“CeeDee knows better,” he said. “We can’t have that. Discipline is non-negotiable. If we’re going to be the team we want to be, we have to play smart and control what we can control.”

While the loss won’t count in the standings, Schottenheimer made it clear that the lessons will. He praised his players’ fight in the second half, noting the positive energy from younger contributors, but stressed that effort has to be matched with execution.

“No one’s going to work harder than me,” Schottenheimer said. “We’ll fix what needs fixing. This is just the first step, but we’re building something here. I want a team that plays with passion, but also with poise.”

For Schottenheimer, the debut was both a personal milestone and a blueprint for the work ahead. The emotion of the moment was real, but so was the reality check: preseason is about more than memories — it’s about creating the habits that will matter when the games count.