Even in the preseason, Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer is showing how much the game of football means to him.
Despite a 31-21 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the preseason opener Friday night at SoFi Stadium, Schottenheimer admitted when speaking with reporters after the game that he was emotional prior to kickoff.
After over 20 years as an assistant across the league and at the college level, Schottenheimer finally made it to his first-ever preseason game as a head coach, and the reality of the moment set in.
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“I got a little bit choked up coming to the stadium and then when Jerry and I talked a little bit, I’ll be honest,” Schottenheimer said. “I got a little emotional. It’s been a dream of mine to be in this chair.”
Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer at training camp in Oxnard. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Schottenheimer added that he and Jerry Jones reflected on their NFL careers.
“He and I were just talking about our journeys, and we were telling some stories,” Schottenheimer said. “And he’s obviously been in it a long time, I’ve been in it a long time, it was just two of us, and I’m very appreciative of him and the Jones family for having me in this chair. And like I’ve told you guys from the beginning, no one’s gonna work harder than me, and we’re gonna go look at this film and try to clean it up.”
While the game certainly served as a notable milestone at this point in Schottenheimer’s career, he made it clear that the product on the field is not what they want.
The Cowboys got off to a slow start and were in catch-up mode the rest of the night. L.A.’s dominant start was the difference in a double-digit win where the final stats for both teams looked fairly similar.
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Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer during training camp. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Dallas committed 11 penalties for 83 yards while also losing the time of possession 33:20 to 26:40. The Rams also converted on four of their five red zone tries while the Cowboys went two of four inside the 20-yard line.
“I’ll remember this day for a long time,” Schottenheimer said. “It’s not the result that we wanted, but first time out there as a head coach, it felt pretty cool.”
The Cowboys will have their second chance at picking up a win in the preseason when they host the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday.
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