Schottenheimer Embraces Cowboys’ Defensive Meeting: ‘Everyone’s Rowing in the Same Direction

The Dallas Cowboys defense held a players-only meeting after their recent home loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and coach Brian Schottenheimer is completely fine with it. He sees it as a good sign that the team is pulling together. Star linebacker DeMarvion Overshown shared that the players went through a list of points to check if they’re meeting the team’s standards. Meanwhile, former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, who’s now an analyst for NBC, criticized such meetings on the ‘New Heights Podcast,’ saying, ‘If it did occurred, I’d like to not hear about it. The fact that you hear about it is what makes it B.S.’ But Schottenheimer praised his players for taking charge, telling reporters the meeting was productive, open, and honest. He’s always believed the best teams are led by the locker room. Despite the Cowboys having one of the worst defenses last season and still struggling this year under new coordinator Christian Parker, Schottenheimer is confident they’ll fix it. The team is planning adjustments for their next game against the Green Bay Packers, like moving Parker to the booth and giving more time to rookie linebacker Malachi Lawrence. Schottenheimer stressed that the pride in the unit is strong, and this meeting shows everyone is on the same page to get things right. Defensive coordinator Parker also agreed, saying the timing was perfect after the team had extra time off.