Brian Schottenheimer identifies two major Cowboys concerns

Brian Schottenheimer identifies two major Cowboys concerns originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Dallas Cowboys won their preseason opener, but Brian Schottenheimer found two areas that failed to meet his standard. Dallas defeated the Seattle Seahawks 17-7 behind an impressive defensive performance. The Cowboys allowed only 76 total yards over Seattle’s final seven possessions and received multiple encouraging contributions from players competing for roster spots.

Schottenheimer still was not pleased with the special teams or the offensive line. The Cowboys allowed 144 yards on six combined kickoff and punt returns. Seattle’s average offensive possession began at its own 42-yard line, repeatedly creating difficult situations for the Dallas defense.

“Our mantra is get back to basics,” Schottenheimer said. “Got to pay more attention to detail. Very, very disappointed in how we lost contain. Very disappointed in how we gave up kick-side leverage.”

Schottenheimer also criticized the communication from Dallas’ coverage units.

“And then we did a terrible job of communicating non-verbally on the coverage teams,” Schottenheimer said. “Didn’t do a good enough job of that. So we had a long special teams meeting. It’s going to be a big part of our emphasis because it wasn’t good enough.”

Cowboys running game failed its first test

Dallas’ other significant problem came on offense. The Cowboys produced only 40 net rushing yards during the first half against Seattle. Schottenheimer acknowledged that the Seahawks presented a large defensive front, but he did not use the matchup as an excuse.

“We didn’t block very well in that first half,” Schottenheimer said. “We weren’t very efficient running the football.”

The offensive line did not consistently create opportunities for Jaydon Blue or Phil Mafah. Malik Davis and Israel Abanikanda had stronger moments, but Dallas did not establish the physical running attack Schottenheimer wants to build around Dak Prescott.

“We figured it out in the second half, but that’ll be a big part of what we’re trying to do throughout this week in some of the padded work against the Saints and ourselves heading into Arizona,” Schottenheimer said. “We need to move people better.”

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Chaotic practice complicated Schottenheimer’s plan

The Cowboys hoped their joint practice against New Orleans would provide an immediate opportunity to correct both concerns. Schottenheimer specifically wanted situational work and special-teams repetitions. Instead, repeated fights interrupted the session and left the coach disappointed with the amount of quality work Dallas completed.

That places greater importance on the remaining practices and the Cowboys’ preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals. Preseason results do not matter in the standings, but Schottenheimer needs to see evidence that his team can turn coaching points into improvement. Dallas cannot consistently give opponents favorable field position, and it cannot allow the running game to disappear against physical defensive fronts.

The Cowboys showed against Seattle that their defense can control a game. Schottenheimer now wants the offense and special teams to begin carrying their share of the load.

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