Jerry Jones defends hiring Brian Schottenheimer as Cowboys coach: ‘As big a risk as you could take’

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones held a press conference on Monday to introduce Brian Schottenheimer as the Cowboys head coach.

During the press conference, Jerry Jones defended his decision to promote Schottenheimer from offensive coordinator to head coach. He added that he is being criticized for staying in his comfort zone, when in reality he is taking a big risk.

“Now I get my proverbial ass kicked over needing people in my comfort zone. Without this thing being about me in any way, if you don’t think I can’t operate out of my comfort zone, you’re so wrong, it’s unbelievable,” Jerry Jones said. “This is as big a risk as you could take, as big a risk as you could take. No head coaching experience.”

Brian Schottenheimer has coached in various NFL and college roles since 1997, including spending the past three seasons on staff with the Cowboys.

However, as Jerry Jones said, this will be his first head coaching job. Jones feels strongly that Schottenheimer is ready for it, thanks to his experience learning as an assistant and learning from his father, longtime NFL head coach Marty Schottenheimer.

“Anybody in this room that doesn’t believe the apple doesn’t go far from the tree has missed it some place down the road, especially if there was an effort to make it that way, and there was an effort,” Jerry Jones said. “But then you go around to the countless numbers of coaches that Schotty has served on staff with and been around, the countless players, how often do you have someone that has 25 years of working through the human relationship and aspiring to learn and have his ears and eyes wide open and looking for techniques and looking for things that make coaches better.”

It remains to be seen if Jerry Jones promoting Brian Schottenheimer to head coach will prove to be the right move.

One thing is for sure, though, Jones feels confident in his decision, even if it was a risky choice.

“He’s had 25 years being around the kinds of things that he’s going to have to draw on to be the coach of the Dallas Cowboys,” Jerry Jones said. “I like his baggage. I like that experience.

“This was a thorough, thorough process, shaded by whatever my experiences have been… What I would say for the fans is that yes, to some, it is a less than glamorous hire. What I would say to you is I got here by taking shots. … This was risky, this is risky. But by the same token, how often can you take a risk when someone has had almost 30 years of being around coaches, of being around players? … And then the rest of it growing up in an NFL-oriented family. I think this might make something special.”