From Day 1 of Cowboys training camp, Brian Schottenheimer made one thing very clear: he wasn’t here to babysit. When a full-team drill spiraled into a full-blown sideline brawl – complete with punches and a full rugby-style pileup – he didn’t wait for it to cool off. He stormed into the middle of the chaos, cut the music, and lit into the roster with one message: “Do you f—ing understand me?!” he shouted. It wasn’t just about breaking up a fight – it was about setting a standard. Intensity was welcome. Losing control wasn’t. And ever since that moment, the word “discipline” has followed Schottenheimer like a shadow.

So, when the Cowboys hit the field with the Rams for their joint practice on Aug. 5, expectations weren’t just high – they were personal. Schottenheimer wasn’t just testing his team. He was testing his system. But the result? A mixed bag. Some flashes of greatness, sure. But a lot of sloppiness, especially on offense. And this time, it wasn’t just the players who caught heat. Schotty turned the camera on himself. “I’d give myself a C, maybe a C-minus,” he admitted. “We didn’t have as much success, but I also had a lot of bullets I didn’t use…I was like the squad, just okay.”

After pulling an all-nighter with his staff to rewatch the practice tape, Brian Schottenheimer didn’t sugarcoat a thing. “Great learning experience. I’m excited about the work we got. It was great clips. There was a lot of good as well,” he said. He even called a deep shot to Jalen Brooks… One of the few explosive plays of the day…. Interestingly, it was simply out of frustration with how the offense was performing. It was a vanilla game plan by design. But Schottenheimer wasn’t thrilled with what his basic package revealed. “It wasn’t a great day for us running the football… Everything’s got to be tied together, and it wasn’t tied very well together yesterday.”

Despite the disappointment, there was no panic. Just realism. “We’re a good team, we’re talented, we’ve got good coaches,” Schottenheimer said. “It was more of when you watch the film it’s just like, ‘Okay, we’re in the process of still improving and we’re in the process of teaching these guys, okay, why do these details matter?’” And that’s where the tone returns to the discipline-first mantra he set back in July. 

Schottenheimer isn’t unhappy because the Cowboys lost a scrimmage – they didn’t even really lose. He’s unhappy because the product didn’t match the purpose. “We kept all of our clubs in the bag. It’s like we were out there playing with a 7 iron. We’re going to be playing with a 7 iron most of the preseason.” In other words: no excuses, even for vanilla. But while offense had its hiccups, the defense had its fair share of standout moments.

Brian Schottenheimer calls out Cowboys’ flaws

Even though the defense showed flashes – like Jack Sanborn and Marist Liufau attacking the ball – Schottenheimer made it clear the team still had plenty to fix. “The three main things that I took away from it: Carry our pads a little bit better, all about the ball, and then just overall attention to details,” he said. Those lines were reflections of everything he saw on tape. Pad level was inconsistent, run fits weren’t crisp, and there were too many mental busts in simple situations. Yes, players like Perrion Winfrey stood out with individual plays, but Schottenheimer’s bar is higher than the occasional flash.

On the flip side, the wideouts showed real juice. CeeDee Lamb was, in one word, unguardable. From bubble screens to deep fades, he carved up the Rams’ secondary. George Pickens chipped in too, and KaVontae Turpin? He straight-up owned a drive – two big grabs and a house call after shaking off a defender like loose change. And even QB Joe Milton had his moment – a 64-yard bomb to Brooks – before getting held out for precaution after hitting his thumb on a helmet.

For now, Schottenheimer isn’t making grand declarations. There’s no set list of who plays when, just a snap count plan for individual players. “There’ll be a handful of guys that don’t play,” he said, “but I would say there’ll be some guys that play throughout the preseason.” The Cowboys face the Rams again on Aug. 9 at SoFi Stadium, but don’t expect fireworks. Expect more learning, more reps, and more chances for the new head coach to raise that C-minus up a notch – or three.