The Dallas Cowboys finished 2024 in a tatters’ row after an NFL season in which they were 7-10 and didn’t even make the playoffs for the first time since 2020. The wheels fell off Dak Prescott, who was out of town in week nine after suffering a hamstring injury, after starting hot (record 1,978 yards and 11 touchdowns). Backup Cooper Rush was terrific but an abysmal performance really showed us how much the Cowboys count on QB1 and its weaknesses were blatant. Enter the offseason drama.

The Cowboys – They left Mike McCarthy (a coach who had a decent 49-35 record for five seasons but failed to produce a strong playoff run) and they’re on the search for a new sideline hero. With Jerry Jones as the coaching machine, the carousel whirs—and the fans are waiting for another Jerry jukebox. The latest buzz? Offense coordinator Brian Schottenheimer is also a possibility, sources told Clarence Hill Jr., though names such as Kellen Moore and Leslie Frazier are also floating around. And the fans, as usual, don’t let it go.

Yet Brian Schottenheimer might be the newest name attached to the Cowboys’ coaching vacancy, but some scratch their heads at his résumé. The 51-year-old was never a head coach, either, though he played for almost 30 years in the NFL, many of those years as an offensive coordinator. But he’s a family name in the making, as the son of NFL legend Marty Schottenheimer. Furthermore, his success as the Cowboys’ OC in 2023 (score leader in the league) makes him an intriguing, if unsettled, candidate.

Brian Schottenheimer arrived on the Dallas Cowboys team in 2022 as a consultant, and within a year his name was all over the success. The Cowboys went 12–5 that year and it didn’t get much better from there. By 2023, Schottenheimer had snagged himself an offensive coordinator promotion, and boy, did he make good.

The Cowboys were again 12–5 and even took home the NFC East title. The offense under Schottenheimer’s play-calling verbiage was lightning fast—fifth in yards per game and fourth in the league in scoring, scoring an astounding average of 29.9 points per game. But the playoff fairy tale was not as much of a happy ending. Dallas went 0-for-4 against the Packers in the Wild Card round, losing in a high-scoring slugfest, 48–32. The upset aside, Schottenheimer’s presence on offense was undeniable, and he was a creative presence who would light up scoreboards.

Schottenheimer is a “logical internal option,” said NFL insider Dianna Russini, but others (Kellen Moore) are playoff caliber. Moore, now the Eagles’ offensive coordinator, has gotten Philly to the NFC Championship Game in a run-first offense that has made Saquon Barkley the ninth person to ever rush for more than 2,000 yards. Moore, the Cowboys’ system insider and Jones connection, is probably the pick of the crop, although Seattle’s Leslie Frazier is also said to be on the cards. “The Cowboys’ next hire will speak volumes about Jerry Jones’ confidence—or lack thereof—in developing talent internally.” wrote Ian Rapoport. How does Schottenheimer’s magic plan on?

Fans on fire: Jerry Jones’ “Gaslighting” era?

Jerry Jones is, if the Cowboys coaching mess is a soap opera, no doubt the star, and everyone is fed up. “This is a deeply unserious team,” Cliff Yablonski said, echoing the sheer pain of a franchise mired in absolute mediocrity since its last Super Bowl win in 1996, and many people agree that Jones’ micromanagement crippled the franchise.

“This sh*t is a g*dd*mn nightmare,” Donnie fumed, exclaiming the feelings of every fan who has been stuck in the loop of disappointing affairs. It’s like the movie Groundhog Day but everyday gets worse and Alva blasted Jones for “gaslighting us all”. David G couldn’t be more direct: “Good lord, what a dumb front office.” It’s what legions of decades-long fans feel too, as they tire of the rotation of coaches, playoff debacles and Jerry Jones’ decisions.. The anger is palpable, and for good reason. With nine head coaches, four playoff wins, and many scandals since Jones took over, fans long for consistency and success.

Even longtime Cowboys insider Clarence Hill Jr. chimed in: with a disheartened “Sigh.” Austin Dabney had a bone to pick, the outrage doesn’t reside in who is being listened to, but rather who is listening. “What is Jerry DOING?” said Hill, frustrated with the billionaire owner’s micromanaging behavior.

One fan, Daniel Ray, captured the essence with a slice of humor: “We’re just wasting time till Kellen’s out of the playoffs… I heard the coaching search could last until mid-February.” His observation is not only a commentary on the inexorable wait, but also a subtle criticism of Jerry Jones’ slowness when the stakes are high.

What fans do know about the upheaval: whoever gets the gig will be slammed to the ground—and brutally filmed. The Cowboys are America’s team, right? And the demand to show up is never-ending. “The next head coach better have thick skin,” said one fan.

But the hunt is not yet over, and the Cowboys’ story is still TV drama. So will it be Schottenheimer, Moore – or is it going to be someone else completely surprising – with his playoff experience? But at least for now, Jerry Jones is on and the Cowboys are going to have everyone guessing (both on and off the field). “You watch, you yell, and you know deep down it’s all for nothing. But you still tune in every Sunday.” It’s a loyalty forged by a decade of heartbreaking yet fleeting flashes of greatness, and we all are praying for that one miracle, could it be Schottenheimer?