- 8 minutes ago
Nick Harris joined Shan, RJ, and Bobby following the Cowboys' loss to Arizona. Harris discussed Schottenheimer's struggles, concerns regarding George Pickens, potential deadline moves, and more.
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00:00Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram on DFW Sports Station, then Chuck Cooperstein, voice of the Mavs, at 8.20
00:07with the Spurs tonight.
00:08Nick Eatman, DallasCowboys.com, at 9.20.
00:12Good morning, Nick. How are you?
00:14Doing fantastic, fellas. How are we doing?
00:15Did you go all in on election coverage, or you kind of stay away?
00:22No, I like to watch our good politics columnist, Bud Kennedy.
00:27He was on WFAA last night doing a fantastic job, so supporting the people, and yeah, he did great.
00:32So checking in with him mostly throughout the night.
00:34Fort Worth Star-Telegram column.
00:37The Brian Schottenheimer Show is failing, and it now finds itself at risk of cancellation.
00:45Take us inside that piece.
00:46I know, subscription, of course.
00:48It's pretty dramatic there, Nick.
00:49But take us inside that piece as things are feeling uneasy around here.
00:55Yeah, you know, Jerry had had the quote that this is an indictment on the whole show, and
00:58I just kind of took that quote and ran with it.
01:01Yeah, it's, when we look at the Brian Schottenheimer tenure now through 25 games, I think we have
01:07a pretty good sample size on what has worked, what has not worked.
01:10And, you know, as we look at this season and as we look at, you know, the struggles that
01:15they have faced through eight games, if we look up at the end of the year and this team
01:18is not in the playoffs, and you look at this result against Arizona, you look at the result
01:23against Tampa Bay, you look at what happened at the end of the game against Baltimore and
01:26Rio, you know, you start to look at this Brian Schottenheimer tenure in a lot more negative
01:31light, and that's kind of what that column paints.
01:34You know, it also paints the reality that, hey, there is still nine games left in this
01:38juncture.
01:39He has time to turn it around.
01:40Jerry Jones is going to give him that time to turn it around.
01:43But, you know, as we're looking at it right now, everyone's watching this show, and they're
01:47not confident with the direction that the plot is heading.
01:49And I might need a new director when it's all said and done.
01:53Nick, what has surprised you the most about his actual coaching?
01:59I will say the game management things that have continued to pop up.
02:04And he's not apologizing for one of them in the last two weeks, at least.
02:09Yeah, and I expected a little bit more in that category just because of the experience he's
02:14had in the league and, you know, how he grew up in the league.
02:17So that's probably been the most surprising.
02:20It doesn't necessarily surprise me that the offense has had kind of a sophomore slump with
02:24him as the play caller.
02:25That typically happens whenever there's a play caller that comes into the league.
02:29I mean, he's called plays in the league before, but he came in and had his playbook that he
02:34threw out there in 2025, his scheme.
02:37And teams had a whole offseason to scout it and look at it and adjust to it.
02:41And it doesn't look like that Schottenheimer has had the answers to those adjustments just
02:45yet.
02:46It doesn't necessarily surprise me that that happened, but maybe the fact that we're eight
02:50games into it and we're still talking about how there hasn't been any adjustments there.
02:54That's starting to be a concern and something that's a little bit surprising to me as well.
02:59But I would say the game management things overall, because, you know, at the end of the
03:02day, if the Cowboys don't make the playoffs, I almost wonder if there's going to be a justification
03:08on, OK, why don't they just take the play calling away from Brian Schottenheimer, keep
03:14him as the head coach.
03:15But I look at these game management decisions and I go, I don't know how you can do that
03:19even with these game management decisions that have been made through eight weeks.
03:23And so we have nine more games to let this thing shake out.
03:27But, you know, as I see it right now, it's going in the wrong direction.
03:30Nick, when you look at everything involved with this second year with Schottenheimer,
03:36whether it be play calling, game management decisions, whatever it is, and I know some
03:40of it is, all right, league catches on to some things that you do and you get injuries
03:44or different personnel that swaps out.
03:45But does it feel like it's not just stagnant, but that he's actually just regressed as a
03:50head coach at the start of the season?
03:53I would say stagnant.
03:54I would say that just because I, what do you point to from last year to say it's going in
03:59the wrong direction necessarily?
04:02I think that last year there were less flubs in terms of management scenarios and they were
04:09more competitive against teams they shouldn't have beaten.
04:12Yeah, I think that's fair.
04:14And I think there's an argument for it for sure.
04:15I guess I just look at the results too from last year and, you know, specifically in December
04:21when we were looking at the offense and second halves of games and they just could not move
04:26to football, you know, I looked at that and I was like, I had already had the concerns
04:30coming out of last year being like, I wonder if Brian Schottenheimer can't adjust in game.
04:35I wonder if that's a negative of his.
04:39And now that we look at the rate games, I think that's a firm negative.
04:42I don't know if that's necessarily him being stagnant or him going in the wrong direction.
04:46I think there's probably a case for both sides.
04:48Nick, is all this talk about the head coach, is this letting the players off the hook at all
04:53for their role in this?
04:55No, I don't think so.
04:57Because I still do think there's personnel on your defense that has to get better.
05:02And they have nine games to prove that they're worthy of an NFL job at this point.
05:08Now, there are some guys on that defense that I think have played outstanding.
05:11Quentin Williams is starting to really put together a stretch of games.
05:14Four sacks in his last three games.
05:16I think Shamar James is going to end up being a pretty reliable guy in the middle.
05:20DeMarvin Overshone looks healthy.
05:21But you need your edge pieces to contain the run game.
05:27You need your edge pieces to get consistent pressure.
05:30You need Deron Bland to really take a step forward.
05:33You need your safety depth to come alive whenever they do get hit by injuries in that room.
05:39And when all those things are not firing at the same time,
05:42then you see what happens in the second half of that football game.
05:44Nick Harris, four-star telegram every hump day here on Sean and RJ.
05:49Put these three in order of mattering.
05:53Pickens runs off the field right after the Cardinals' loss.
05:57Pickens' snap count behind Flannoy and what it was.
06:01Pickens on the sideline with Lamb during some key moments of the Arizona game.
06:07I would say I would go the reverse order there.
06:10I would go him on the sideline during key moments.
06:13The snap count with Flannoy and then running off.
06:15The runoff thing, it's a little bit taken out of context just because there is a delay in that Miller
06:22Light Club.
06:23And the sideline is literally right there.
06:26And so, you know, it could have been five seconds maybe that that kick had already gone in.
06:31Because you can hear the screams in the background of that video before it's shown on the screen in the
06:36Miller Light Club.
06:37But the snap count behind Flannoy, you know, that's been attributed to him dealing with hamstring and shoulder injuries
06:44that they're trying to manage a little bit.
06:46But I see, you know, you look at when they got the onside kick at the end of regulation
06:52and you don't see Pickens and Lamb on the field for what was it, two of those three plays.
06:58That's wild to me.
06:59You need a first down and you're taking, you know, $60 million off the field.
07:03That's wild to me for sure.
07:05How big of a factor to you is the talk of Pickens blocking and Pickens effort, you know, coming off
07:12the ball?
07:12And what do you say to those who say when Pickens isn't on the sideline of Flannoy is in, it's
07:17a run giveaway, run tell?
07:20Yeah, there's got to be more effort there.
07:22And I agree with Brian Schottenheimer in that sense.
07:25I don't think it's such an indictment that you have to look at it and be like,
07:30oh, George Pickens can't be here in the future.
07:32I'm still very much in the camp of you've got to sign George Pickens long term.
07:37Just because he is one of the most dynamic playmakers in the NFL.
07:40And he's one of the best contested catch players in the NFL.
07:43And you don't just let those guys walk, even if it is for a third round compensatory pick at the
07:46end of the day.
07:48And especially if it's at the deadline and you're only getting like a third and a fifth or a second
07:52and a fourth, whatever it would be.
07:54I do think, though, that there have been a lot of tells when 88 and 3 are off the field.
08:01Because you can look at it and be like, all right, run left, run right.
08:05And it's pretty much, you know, diagrammed by the personnel that they do have on the field.
08:09So, Nick, how in the hell could that offensive line have the run game they did one week after what
08:17they did to the Eagles?
08:19Yeah, that one I don't have answers for.
08:22I really don't get it.
08:24Because it's not a personnel issue up front.
08:26I don't think we can look at any of those five guys up front and be like, oh, he's having
08:29a bad year.
08:30You know, Tyler Booker by metrics is having one of the best seasons for a guard this year.
08:35Tyler Guyton has taken a big step forward.
08:37Tyler Smith, we're starting to see what his presence means to that offensive line.
08:41Terrence Steele actually has not been as bad as he has been in recent years.
08:44And so it's like, I can't really point to it.
08:47There's a lot of unblocked free runners coming into the backfield and, you know, arriving with Javante Williams in the
08:53backfield like they are.
08:55But you're right.
08:55They go to Philadelphia and it's 4.2 yards per rush before contact for Javante Williams.
09:00And then you look at it in the Arizona game and, man, he'd be looking to get four yards on
09:05one carry, much less before contact.
09:07And so, yeah, that one's mystifying to me.
09:09And I look at that as a scheme issue for them to be able to dial up more opportunities for
09:14Javante Williams and Tyler Goodson to get going.
09:17Well, Nick, and if that's a scheme issue, you know, there's obviously been a lot of talk about Clayton Adams
09:21and what his hand is in the run game and different things like that.
09:24But does that give you any pause when you start looking at questions of, OK, well, maybe we just have
09:29Clayton Adams take over if you don't feel like he's consistently designing things up the way they need to be
09:34in the run game?
09:35Yeah, I think that's part of it.
09:36I think it's also because he is very green in the play calling aspect of things.
09:41You know, fans calling for Clayton Adams to be calling plays over Ryan Schottenheimer, I'm not so sure that that
09:46would be a better track.
09:47And Clayton, I think, has proven that he's a reliable, trusted run game plan type of guy.
09:54But I don't think he's a play caller.
09:56Nick Harris from the 4th Star-Telegram joining us here on 105.3 The Fan.
10:00Nick, there was some conspiracy talk, it felt like, on social media over the Cowboys locker room being empty on
10:09Monday.
10:09And there were fans who were talking like, you know, I'm not buying this meeting thing or anything else.
10:15This sounds like they were just protesting.
10:17What was your take?
10:18You were there on Monday.
10:19What was your take on the clear out of the locker room and the miscommunication there?
10:24Yeah, I thought it was kind of a nothing burger, if I'm being honest.
10:27I think, if anything, we probably should have been brought down a little bit earlier.
10:30But, you know, those mistakes happen.
10:32And, you know, it is what it is.
10:33I don't necessarily look at it as like the players ducking us.
10:36However, I will say, you know, players have been grumpy over the last six weeks or so.
10:41And, you know, it's been a tumultuous start to the year for them.
10:45And so, not to say that, like, players have been angels with us necessarily, but I don't think there was
10:50anything intentional about, like, hey, let's clear out before they get here.
10:53I don't think it was anything like that.
10:54When you write the column that you did about Schottenheimer failing, do you get any side eyes or is it
11:01any weirdness going into the building?
11:05No.
11:06No, it's been good.
11:07And I think everyone understands the job that has to be done.
11:10And, you know, Shottie answered my two questions on Monday with the same conviction that he has in the past.
11:18And Brian Schottenheimer has done a really good job, I think, through these last three, four weeks of managing the
11:23outside noise when it comes to press conferences specifically.
11:27And so, you know, even if he did have an issue with it, I've dealt with the head coach that
11:32did.
11:32But it wouldn't be too bad.
11:36What did you think?
11:38Let me follow up on that.
11:40Do you have a different thought or appreciation?
11:43I don't know what you actually did think of McCarthy as a coach.
11:47Do you think of McCarthy differently now?
11:48Yeah.
11:50Bobby does.
11:52We all know Bobby.
11:53I got Bobby the other day to say that Schottenheimer is not a better coach than McCarthy.
11:58That, to me, was such a humongous victory.
12:02Wow.
12:03And growth.
12:03Of growth for Bobby.
12:05That's more surprising than a Texas blue wave, let me tell you.
12:11No, it doesn't make me think of McCarthy necessarily any differently.
12:16You know, I think Shottie has done a really good job managing press relationships, I guess, over these last few
12:21weeks.
12:22But he also understands, I think, the certain things that we have to, you know, write and report at the
12:27moment because that's what we're being given.
12:29And he has said in almost every press conference over the course of the last eight weeks, you know, it
12:33starts with me, it starts with me, it starts with me.
12:35You know, it's happened so much that fans are, like, starting to joke before he even comes out.
12:40He's like, ah, I can't wait to hear Brian Schottenheimer say it starts with me.
12:43But I really do think that, like, that's been a big part of it.
12:46And he understands where the fault has fallen here early on.
12:50I know that the team is, you know, talent-wise on paper, good.
12:54And I know you said that it doesn't make you feel any differently about McCarthy.
12:58But this is, we are living the most, like, absolutely predictable situation, right?
13:07This was the most predictable outcome, is that Shottie seems over his head.
13:13Yeah, and I understand that feeling for sure.
13:16I will say when he was hired and brought in and, you know, we saw what, like, the first few
13:21games looked like with Shottie and we saw what the offense looked like last year, I thought coming into this
13:26year, I was like, okay, if Christian Parker can at least get this unit back to average, they're going to
13:30be all right.
13:31Because we saw what the offense was last year.
13:33They're saying they're evolving.
13:35And, you know, if they have an average defense, they're getting into the playoffs.
13:38I don't think we valued enough the fact of the inability to adjust from Schottenheimer last year.
13:45Because there were signs.
13:46There were signs last year that he could not adjust in-game.
13:48And now we've seen that really show up in multiple games this year.
13:52And I think that's going to end up being the biggest hindrance toward him, you know, finding success here as
13:57a head coach in the NFL.
13:58Nick, you had buried at the very end of that article that the Cowboys were at least heading into Sunday
14:05before that loss.
14:07We're keeping the temperature on the trade market specifically with some pass rushers.
14:12Talk to us about those names and how active you think the Cowboys might be before next Tuesday.
14:17Yeah, the names I had thrown in there were Josh Sweat of Arizona, Alex Highsmith of Pittsburgh, Caleb on chase
14:23on of Washington, and then Yaya Diaby of Tampa Bay.
14:26Diaby has since been hurt. He's going to be out for an extended period of time.
14:30So that's obviously a little bit different now.
14:33And with Josh Sweat, obviously they just saw him.
14:36I think the price is going to be it's going to have to come down if there's going to be
14:38a deal done for Josh Sweat.
14:40And then Alex Highsmith, while it is someone that I feel confident the Cowboys are interested in,
14:46I do not get the sense that the Steelers are interested in dealing him because they are six and two
14:50right now behind Mike McCarthy.
14:52And I think they're going to keep that roster intact here at the deadline.
14:55So I put a chance of a deal getting done probably right around 50-50, maybe a little bit lower
15:01than 50% before the deadline for a pass rusher.
15:05But they are calling around the league trying to see what these tier two options do look like.
15:09And so, you know, as we get closer, we'll see what these results end up playing a role in that.
15:14Would you buy or sell?
15:16I would say, Pat, I wouldn't do a damn thing.
15:19I'd keep this roster for the next nine games, let it ride.
15:22And, yeah, you figure out those things in the offseason just because I'm still in the camp of signing George
15:27Pickens long-term.
15:28I'm in the camp of signing Joey Porter long-term.
15:30And, yeah, you get that done in the offseason, and I don't think you make that irrational decision right now.
15:36Is it irrational to say we have no shot of being a championship contender this year?
15:42No, I don't think that's irrational at all.
15:44But I do think it would be to look at eight games and be like, okay, well, George Pickens can
15:48never, ever give you value ever again.
15:50And that's where I look at that.
15:52Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram here in the Commercial Free Expressway.
15:55What did you think about what Jerry said to us yesterday about paying coaches?
16:01Yeah, that was fascinating.
16:03It's like he is right.
16:04There's not a correlation between how much you pay him and wins, but there is a correlation toward paying good
16:08coaches and winning.
16:10And you look at some of the highest-fake coaches in the NFL, and what do they all have in
16:14common?
16:14Rings.
16:15Andy Reid, Sean Payton, Sean McVay.
16:18Those are the guys at the top of the list.
16:21And so, yeah, I think even if there is going to be a coaching search this offseason, you've got to
16:27hope that Jerry's ready to pay up for the best candidate.
16:29And it's funny because I do have Cowboys fans in my life that will reach out to me after games.
16:35And the biggest question that I continue to get, surprisingly, maybe not, over the course of the last 72 hours,
16:41is like, man, why did they not even interview Ben Johnson?
16:44Like, why did they not even look at that?
16:47My answer is, like, they knew what that price was going to be.
16:49They knew what the price was going to be.
16:50They knew what the input was going to be.
16:52And it wasn't going to be a fit for what they were trying to find for that role.
16:58Which is an awful thing as a Cowboy fan to have to deal with, right?
17:03Yeah, and you've got to accept that.
17:05You've got to accept that at the end of the day.
17:07Nick, fantastic stuff.
17:08Keep up the great work.
17:09Thanks for the gold.
17:10And we'll talk to you next week.
17:12Thanks, fellas.
17:12Have a good one.
17:13By the way, by the way, real quick, are you still there?
17:15Yeah.
17:15Have you already decided your indie pick?
17:19I am going with the Cowboys very begrudgingly.
17:23Okay.
17:23Very begrudgingly.
17:24Yeah, I don't feel confident in any pick these days.
17:28Even with Carly Gordon calling the plays?
17:30My pick is going to be Nicky Blaine's on Saturday night, actually, fellas.
17:32That's what the pick is going to be.
17:34What is it?
17:36Nicky Blaine's, the cigar bar we go to during Combine.
17:39Oh, that's the name of it?
17:41Yeah, while Choppy's eating solo steak dinners.
17:45I'm hoping that we just get to Indy with the state of things.
17:48If we got pick 27 by itself, I don't know.
17:52I don't know if that trip's being the boss to sign off on that.
17:55I hope so.
17:56I hope so.
17:56Thank you, brother.
17:58See ya.
17:58See ya.