ARLINGTON — Being a head coach in the NFL can be lonely sometimes.
Brian Schottenheimer stood alone near the 48-yard line with his arms folded, waiting for his kicker Brandon Aubrey to attempt a walk-off field goal in the closing seconds of overtime.
Schottenheimer was close to his first win as an NFL head coach when Giants coach Brian Daboll called a timeout to freeze Aubrey.
Now, Schottenheimer changed positions. He walked from the Cowboys 45 to the Giants 48. Arms folded, no headset, and waited. Alone.
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Aubrey made his 46-yard field goal as time expired, giving the Cowboys a dramatic 40-37 overtime victory against the Giants at AT&T Stadium on Sunday.
After believing his team missed out on a chance to win in the season opener against the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles last week, Schottenheimer was rewarded with his first NFL victory. It was a needed win as the Cowboys moved to 1-1 on the season and avoided a 0-2 start. It wasn’t so much the overall record, but avoiding two losses in the NFC East before the baseball playoffs start is vital.
“I’ve always said this because I’ve been the son of a head coach and watched many games,” he said. “It’s so much harder to watch because you have no control. So when my dad is coaching and I’m watching, I’ll be going crazy.”
Schottenheimer calmly walked off the field and hugged Daboll, whose Giants are now 0-2. Schottenheimer hugged some Giants assistant coaches and embraced Giants receiver Malik Nabers, who put on a show by catching nine passes for 167 yards with two scores. He also hugged former Cowboys’ defensive end Chauncey Golston, now with the Giants.
There was finally one more: Russell Wilson.
Schottenheimer spent time calling plays for Wilson when the two were in Seattle. Both are now fighting things out in the NFC East. They shared a warm hug after Schottenheimer watched Wilson throw for 450 yards with three touchdowns.
With the warm greetings done, Schottenheimer calmly walked alone to the Cowboys’ side of the field and stopped just short of the sideline. He blew kisses to his family, sitting in a suite. He pointed into the air to his father, the late Marty Schottenheimer, his inspiration to become a coach.
When Schottenheimer arrived in the locker room to address the team, owner Jerry Jones told quarterback Dak Prescott to present him with the game ball. In an emotional scene, Schottenheimer yelled out the superlative performances of his group.
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Aubrey made game-tying and game-winning field goals in the closing seconds of regulation and overtime.
Javonte Williams rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown. There were three sacks from the defense. There was an interception from safety Donovan Wilson, on one of many deep passes from Wilson, that set up the final score of the game.
You could go on and on, but the Cowboys — in what started as an ungodly performance with penalties, first-half offensive struggles and blown coverages in the secondary — survived it.
“That game was an epitome of him and his coaching style and just the resiliency that he has and the way he carries himself and the way he coaches,” Prescott said. “The standard is the standard, and at the end of the day, that’s winning.”
The week leading into this contest was messy for Schottenheimer.
His two dogs were bitten by snakes, and he needed a veterinarian.
Then, as Schottenheimer was leaving The Star on Friday, his 81-year-old mother Pat called to say she was going to miss the game.
“How about this, my mom on Friday afternoon, went to the airport and fell in the airport and broke her arm,” Schottenheimer said.
While Schottenheimer wishes his dad were here to share in this special moment: “Kinda stinks she wasn’t here for it,” he said of his mom. “I know she took one for the team.”
The life of a coach can be lonely, but you have family and the team to make you feel better.
And Sunday afternoon in an overtime game featuring 984 yards of offense, Schottenheimer was able to get his first win.
“It was really good coming off the field and when Dak presented me, he and Jerry presented me with the game ball, it was pretty special for me,” Schottenheimer said. “Cool way to win your first game, you will remember it forever.”
Victory smooch: See photos as Cowboys celebrate overtime win vs. Giants
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