Blogging The Boys
The Dallas Cowboys news is here.
What happens on the field matters most, but don’t overlook the culture-building of Brian Schottenheimer.
Time was running out and the Dallas Cowboys’ meeting room was getting louder and louder.
Joe Looney needed to make one more free throw to win the competition for the offense as 30 seconds ticked down to zero. And when he did? Chaos ensued.
“It was sick, man,” right tackle Terence Steele said. “Everyone was cheering. It was awesome. Everyone loves it.”
Never mind that Looney last played for the Cowboys in 2020 and the player he competed against, Bradie James, last played for them in 2011. There were bragging rights on the line.
The central theme to Brian Schottenheimer’s approach in his first year as the Cowboys’ head coach is “Compete Every Day.” It’s on the wall leading from the locker room to Ford Center. It’s on a wall in his office.
On May 30, Schottenheimer extended it to the former Cowboys as part of what they called “Legends Day,” when about 25 former players from different eras of Dallas history came to one of the organized team activities at The Star.
This wasn’t just about watching a little practice and grabbing a bite to eat.
They were in the team room for the meetings, which is why Looney and James were competing in the free throw shooting competition, just like the current players do. They were in the position meetings, too. They spoke to the current players, offering tips and mentorship. They watched the practice.
It was a way for Schottenheimer to bridge the generations of Cowboys and have current players meet some of the former players who helped build “America’s Team.”
This is a good question.
12) Most important leap - Guyton or Mazi?
Tommy: Mazi Smith. The Cowboys are going to need everything they can get out of their interior defensive line in 2025, and Smith taking the leap the Cowboys have been looking for would change the entire trajectory of the Cowboys’ defense. If they can stuff up the run in the middle between Smith and Osa Odighizuwa consistently, then things will already be faring better than they did last season for the Cowboys. With Guyton, there’s still help you can give him on the left side if he’s continuing to struggle, and depth behind him should there end up being a better option. In Smith’s case, there’s not many bodies on the roster that have NFL experience in his role, which makes things more difficult and makes his next step all the more important.
Kyle: Anytime a this-or-that question is brought up, my first response is to see how it affects the...
