This is the land of Jimmy, of Hitch, the land of Carlisle and Nelson, the land of\u00a0Bochy and Buck. It\u2019s the land of Landry, for gosh sake.<\/p>\n
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When the Minnesota North Stars moved south in 1993 and Dallas became a big-time four-major-sports-teams city like New York or Chicago or Philly or just a handful of others, these were the men entrusted to coach the Cowboys, the Rangers, the Stars and the Mavericks to do their very best.
Jimmy Johnson. Kevin Kennedy. Bob Gainey. Quinn Buckner.<\/p>\n
OK, there\u2019s a little hiccup there at the end because the Mavericks wandered aimlessly through the \u201990s until Don Nelson happened on the scene. Then you had more than a quarter of a century of Nelson, Avery Johnson, Rick Carlisle and Jason\u00a0Kidd<\/a> \u2014 mostly veteran coaches, all taking the Mavs at least as far as the Western Conference finals and three of them reaching the Finals.<\/p>\n So actually the Mavericks have been more reliable at the helm than the rest. Maybe that\u2019s why it feels like this whole thing is adrift right now, like we are on some forgotten island (also maybe because it rains every day?).<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n How did we get here \u2026 this land of\u00a0Schottenheimer, Gulutzan, Schumaker and Unknown<\/a>?<\/p>\n Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer applauds his squad as they stretch during the second day of full-squad mandatory minicamp at The Star in Frisco, June 11, 2025.<\/p>\n Tom Fox\/Staff Photographer<\/p>\n It\u2019s a bit of a 2002 reminder when, other than Nelson, the men in charge were Dave\u00a0Campo, Jerry Narron and a young Dave Tippett.<\/p>\n I am not here to knock any of these current coaches or proclaim them as inadequate. It\u2019s just that there\u2019s a lack of experience and a complete lack of local production at the helm right now. The dean of local coaches is Brian\u00a0Schottenheimer, because he has been on the job almost 17 months. He also has a 7-9-1 record on his r\u00e9sum\u00e9. Talks the talk really well, but needs to walk the walk this season<\/a>.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Jerry Jones\u2019 beloved\u00a0Schotty is followed in seniority by Glen Gulutzan, who is taking his second crack at coaching the Stars. He was here 15 years ago, before Tom Gaglardi rode to the rescue with a little money and a GM named Jim Nill. Gulutzan speaks and even gestures a bit like Jason Garrett, at least in my mind, and I don\u2019t know what that indicates beyond potential for some serious longevity in this post.<\/p>\n But the Stars are more demanding of playoff success<\/a> than the Cowboys. They play to a higher standard. After a first-round flameout against Minnesota (which then lost to Colorado, which was then swept by Vegas), the Stars are feeling like an afterthought in a conference where reaching the finals was simply a given for Pete DeBoer.<\/p>\n Gulutzan\u2019s first-round playoff record is 2-8, having lost series in Calgary and now Dallas. As good as the Stars\u2019 regular season was, Gulutzan needs to be better in April and deep into May the next two years or, at the very least, some of that golden hair is going to gray.<\/p>\n Skip\u00a0Schumaker checks in next on the list. The Rangers hit the 55-game mark at 25-30. Not exactly the improvement team president Chris Young had in mind when he split with Bruce\u00a0Bochy and hired the in-demand Schumaker. He performed wonders in one season with the Marlins in 2023 but is supposed to have a better roster at Globe Life Field. Supposed to. Hard to tell when they almost get no-hit by Astros\u2019 Spencer\u00a0Arrighetti two weeks ago, then they do get no-hit by a chorus of Astros<\/a> here Monday night. And only Baltimore has allowed more runs than Houston this season.<\/p>\n Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker (55) in the first inning of a baseball game Monday, May 18, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo\/David Zalubowski)<\/p>\n David Zalubowski\/AP Photo\/David Zalubowski<\/p>\n It\u2019s too soon to see how\u00a0Schumaker\u2019s brand fits the Rangers. A mediocre baseball team that just can\u2019t hit most nights is a tough one to watch, let alone manage.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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