ARLINGTON — Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer likes Dan Campbell’s coaching style.
Schottenheimer has seen it displayed with the Detroit Lions since Campbell took over as the team’s head coach in 2021. Schottenheimer was reminded of it when watching film of his upcoming opponent.
“You just see it on both sides of the ball,” Schottenheimer said of Campbell’s influence. “His identity and finger prints are all over that football team. I love the aggressiveness he plays with.”
Schottenheimer has an appreciation for that playing style — just as he did 20 years ago.
Cowboys
Schottenheimer hasn’t coached alongside Campbell, but he nearly coached him. The New York Jets, with Schottenheimer as offensive coordinator, tried to sign Campbell when Campbell left the Cowboys in after the 2005 season, Schottenheimer said.
“I remember talking to him and thinking man, this guy is exactly what we need from a toughness and an identity standpoint in our locker room,” Schottenheimer said. “You look at what he’s built in Detroit and you see his personality all over the film.”
Schottenheimer also has an appreciation for how Campbell helped build the Lions into a perennial playoff contender. It didn’t start that way. The Lions went 3-13 in Campbell’s first year. They had 12 wins in 2023 and went to the NFC Championship Game. Last year, they went 15-2 in the regular season.
Now the Lions are 7-5 with an important game against the Cowboys upcoming. With a win on Thursday, the Cowboys could jump ahead of Detroit in the wild-card race.
Schottenheimer is also trying to build something in Dallas. When it comes to that aspiring rise, the Cowboys could take a page out of what Campbell has done in Detroit.
“All the respect in the world to him,” Schottenheimer said.
Find more Cowboys coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.