Brian Schottenheimer hasn’t wasted time shaking things up since taking over as the Dallas Cowboys’ head coach. Case in point: His decision to move on from running back Rico Dowdle and bring in Javonte Williams. What did he see that the Denver Broncos didn’t? Well, Schottenheimer finally opened up on the matter. It turns out, the answer is pretty simple. He fell in love.

“Rico’s a really skilled runner,” Schottenheimer said Wednesday. “He’s got great vision. He runs hard. The guys who have been around him, we’ve got a ton of new faces, they don’t realize the power that he has. Rico was a guy that we considered keeping, and we kind of fell in love with Javonte. Were we right? I don’t know.”

That’s refreshingly honest. He didn’t overcomplicate it. He just loved what he saw in Javonte. And to be fair, it’s easy to see why. Williams has been a force. Through five games, he’s already punched in six touchdowns and racked up 525 yards from scrimmage. Brian Schottenheimer clearly had a vision for what he wanted in his backfield, and so far, the fit looks perfect.

“I’m the president of Javonte’s fan club,” Schottenheimer said last Friday. “Just because of the way he plays the game. … Javonte is a guy that doesn’t need huge windows.”

The interesting part? After the Cowboys let him walk in free agency, the Carolina Panthers swooped in and signed him on a two-year, $6.25 million deal. And he’s making that deal look like a steal right now.

Last week against the Miami Dolphins, he pretty much obliterated the defense. He accounted for 206 yards and a score on 23 carries, averaging a ridiculous 9.0 yards per attempt. He also caught three passes for 28 yards.

But the signs were there last year. Dowdle quietly had a breakout season and even made Cowboys history. The RB became the first undrafted player in team history to rush for over 1,000 yards (1,079) in a single season. And now, fate’s got a funny way of lining things up, because this week, Dowdle gets to go up against his former team. And he’s eyeing revenge.

Dowdle’s warning shot to Brian Schottenheimer

Dowdle didn’t even bother hiding the chip on his shoulder when talking about facing Dallas and issued a warning.

“They gotta buckle up,” Dowdle said. “I think they know for sure. I think they know for sure. I was there for five years. They didn’t keep me there for five years for no reason. I definitely will say that. Looking forward to playing those guys next week. We’ll handle it when we get there.”

Schottenheimer, to his credit, didn’t shy away from the smoke either.

“I know we’re going to have to buckle up,” he said. “We’ll bring our seatbelts, Rico. We’ll buckle up. Can’t wait to see him though.” You can feel the mutual respect underneath that competitive fire.

Schottenheimer admitted he’s not sure yet if choosing Williams over Dowdle was the right call. And maybe we won’t know for a few years. But we’ll get a little preview this Sunday (check our bold predictions here) when the two backs share the same field this week.

If you’re Dallas, though, you’d better hope this isn’t the week Dowdle proves a point. The Cowboys’ defense has been terrible. They’re giving up an average of 412 yards per game, ranking 32nd against the pass (284.6 yards) and 22nd versus the run (127.4 yards). Not exactly ideal when the next guy on the schedule is a revenge-fueled running back.

Sure, they showed a little life against the Jets, but there’s a long way to go. And if there was ever a week for Dallas’ defense to wake up, it’s this one. They’re currently third in the NFC East, and cannot afford any more slip-ups.