OXNARD, Calif. — There was a moment during Dallas Cowboys' practice on Wednesday where it felt as if Brian Schottenheimer was channeling his late, great father Marty, or coach Herman Boone from the legendary film "Remember the Titans" or, hell, maybe a bit of both.
"When you put that uniform on, you better come to work. We will be perfect in every aspect of the game. You fight in practice, you run a mile."
That isn't exactly what Boone said, but hearing Schottenheimer give his team two earfuls of furious expletives after halting practice to make the entire roster run sideline to sideline repeatedly for the remaining 15 minutes — all because the chippiness of had again spilled over into another near-fight; and only days after Schottenheimer made it clear crossing that line would not be tolerated.
He clearly wasn't bluffing.
"It's been a while [since I've had to run as punishment], but I felt like that was really necessary," said three-time All-Pro wideout CeeDee Lamb. "Honestly, I like what he's doing, because we need discipline."
Dak Prescott echoed Schottenheimer in stating the Cowboys want their intensity to walk the razor's edge, but also that lacking the self control to shut it down after the play isn't the goal.
Lamb agrees, and passionately.
"We need to be able to go through that line, you know what I'm saying?" Lamb said. "We need to have that availability towards the team and then that aggressiveness at the same time to be able to be as mad and fight between the whistles, and then as soon as the whistle is done, we're gonna line it up again, so I'll see you next play.
"We need to have that type of energy and not the, 'We're gonna get it done right here, right now.' Shout out Schotty for that but, as for us, we just gotta be the best group that we can [be]. We've just got to be able to hone it in like, OK, that's what we on? Alright, then I'll see you next play.'
"Then go into the huddle, get your play, line up again, and we're [gonna] do this again. Once we get to that point, we had that type of energy. be a scary team."
So what was it Schottenheimer said to the team on Wednesday?
The rated-G version is what Lamb translated, shades of Boone, although it was far more Marty involved in the real life version of the verbal discipline.
"'Do we want to be champions?'," Lamb loosely translated into Boone-speak for the general audience and children watching from home.
The four-time Pro Bowler continued reiterating comments he made after the fight that occurred in the first week of training camp, but going several steps further into explaining that, in the past, it's that lack of self control that's helped torpedo the team's Super Bowl aspirations — in one of his most candid and transparent moments witnessed of any player that's ever suited up for the Cowboys.
Bottom line: the team has been in its own way.
"Throughout the years of us being here, talent was never the problem for us," said Lamb. "It was always discipline. How do we get ahead and not behind? How do we not shoot ourselves in the foot? How do we not hurt ourselves when the momentum is going our way?
"We need to continue to keep our foot on the pedal and make the right play, and always think about the team."
Perfection … now, let's go to work.
