With Brian Schottenheimer as their new coach at the helm, the Cowboys are set to kick off a new era in the NFL this season. Just a few months with the new head coach and Jalen Tolbert, the Cowboys’ wide receiver, is already impressed with Schottenheimer’s style of coaching. Tolbert, who had his career-best season last year with 610 yards and seven touchdowns, believes it’s the locker room culture that could help the team overcome its past failures.

Notably, the locker room tensions in Dallas were quite visible last year, especially after how Jourdan Lewis and KaVontae Turpin publicly criticized their teammates’ focus and work ethic. But this does not seem to be the case with Schottenheimer. According to the Cowboys’ HC, it is the outside world of the players that interests him, rather than solely focusing on the field. That explains the footwork dance class that HC Schottenheimer took some of the players to. This also explains the use of music and overall change in their training sessions, as revealed by wide receiver Jalen Tolbert, who has approved of this change after the Mike McCarthy era finally ended in Dallas this year.

Jalen Tolbert revealed the changes that the team has been going through since Mike McCarthy left in January. While talking with Good Morning Football, Tolbert opened up about how the locker room’s vibe is getting a complete overhaul, putting the old culture and training habits in the trash.

The use of music is now a non-negotiable on the training field, with every player contributing. “We actually have a piece of paper you can write down songs on. And we have a guy, we call him DJ Daniel, so he plays the ones and twos for us while we’re at practice,” he said. And honestly, kudos to them for being able to decide on music without fighting over it.

“The guys love the energy, love the music that we’re able to listen to at practice. It brings just a little extra touch to it,” he added while talking about the effect music has on their training. This is low-key reminiscent of how the Denver Broncos used music to stay focused and keep other distractions away. “It keeps my mind off all the things that are going to happen,” as Broncos TE Julius Thomas had once said. It seems that Brian thinks of this as a good strategy to help his players only think of the game while playing.

Tolbert also revealed how training has become less about catching the ball and more about just running to the end zone, with everyone just racing each other to the end zone and back. “And it’s actually fun to, you know, compete with who gets to the end zone first without the ball. You know, like we’re racing each other to get in there and then have to run all the way back and, you know, do another play,” said Tolbert. This indicates the systematic change in the attitude and the vibe of the locker room that Brian Schottenheimer has managed to bring into the team. “We’re creating a different feel, different culture around here. And it’s exciting.” 

As Brian uses these unconventional methods to coach and bring together the players. He’s come to the Cowboys to take them to a winning season. And for that, he’s set up a goal, not just for himself, but for the entire team.

Brian Schottenheimer declares his ultimate goal at the Cowboys

Brian Schottenheimer is pretty well known by now for his new and innovative practice methods. After making his head coach debut with the Cowboys, it will be quite a new challenge for him. But he is turning this challenge to his favor, one day at a time. He’s doing this by bringing his influence into the training sessions and by bonding with the players. Despite his fun-loving nature and deep love and compassion for his players, he is still a coach at heart. And as a coach, he only has a single demand from his players. Something which he will not compromise on.

With the presence of high-quality offensive players like Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and George Pickens, it is a strong offensive lineup that the Cowboys have. While individualistic success can be measured by the stats. Reporters in this case only had one question: How does Brian Schottenheimer measure the team’s success? He only had to give a powerful one-word answer to declare his intentions. “Wins,” he declared. That is one thing he will not compromise on. And to actually get that, Brian will have to efficiently use the roster to his advantage, turning the players into weapons of mass destruction.

While there are still questions regarding the starters in the team, he will be working to make his offense the best in the league. And he will need to make them better than they were in 2024, if they want a winning season. And win the Super Bowl, which still remains a distant dream, for now.