Cowboys coordinator Brian Schottenheimer explains 'Texas Coast' offense

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott revealed the team’s new name for the 2023 offensive scheme this week, dubbing it the “Texas Coast” offense – a twist on the West Coast offense.

On Thursday, the last day of Cowboys minicamp, new coordinator Brian Schottenheimer describes what the “Texas Coast” means in terms of differences from last season.

“I’ve said it and I do believe it, it wasn’t broken,” Schottenheimer said of the previous offense under Kellen Moore, via Jon Machota. “What they’ve done here over the last five, six, seven years has been really good since Dak came into the league. We wanted to keep a lot of that in place. That’s what our players know. We’re a veteran, strong offense that has added some really cool pieces.

“We were very selective about the changes we made. We tried to protect some of the language, the things Dak has used for a long time. But we certainly added some wrinkles. Not to put a number on it, but we’re somewhere in that keep 70 percent-ish. We’ve certainly added some flavor.”

Schottenheimer’s own admittance that the Cowboys’ 2022 offense was far from broken is the reason why some analysts are concerned about the team’s direction. Head coach Mike McCarthy drew criticsm after the split with Kellen Moore when he said the old O.C. wanted to “light up the scoreboard,” as if that’s a bad thing to do in the NFL.

McCarthy’s seat warming up?

ESPN’s Dan Graziano believes McCarthy will bear the brunt of the criticism if the Cowboys don’t end up taking a step forward offensively.

“It’s McCarthy, no question about it,” Graziano said about who will ultimately take the blame for a bad season. “If it goes badly, if they have a bad offensive season, obviously it’s going to fall on McCarthy who made all these changes for seemingly no good reason.”

The Cowboys have big numbers to follow up from the 2022 season, not to mention ever-increasing expectations. The defense remains in sure hands with Dan Quinn and the added elements there leave few questions about their overall potential. Offensively, however, there are still many questions.

For a unit that wants to rely slightly more on the run, it’s not yet clear who will step up for Ezekiel Elliott after his departure. And with Dalton Schultz gone, the Cowboys also need their unproven tight ends to take up the slack. Then there’s the question of Dak Prescott. He had a good season, despite setting his career-high in interceptions. But to reach the Super Bowl, he’ll have to be even better.

Prescott will need to master the new “Texas Coast,” which McCarthy says he’s doing so far.

“Changes, adjustments, input, the QBs need to ‘own the offense.’ … It’s not about me,” McCarthy said this week. “At the end of the day, the quarterback needs to own the offense. I have no interest in being known as some guru coach or a smart coach.

“I want smart, Hall-of-Fame-type quarterbacks. The only way to get there is to make them own the offense. … He’s done a really good job of taking ownership of that. He’s knocked it out of the park.”