Brian Schottenheimer ends Cowboys practice early, makes team run after string of training camp fights
After a fight broke out in the middle of practice, the first-time head coach gathered his team, swore like a sailor and warned them what would happen if they threw punches again.
Schottenheimer wasn't kidding.
He walked the walk Wednesday, when he tossed Ajani Cornelius from practice after the rookie offensive tackle reportedly threw a punch.
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Then after a few more fights broke out over the course of practice, Schottenheimer cut the day short, delivered another expletive-infused speech and made his team run as punishment. Even some coaches were seen running sprints alongside players at the Cowboys' training camp site in Oxnard, California.
ESPN's Todd Archer reported that, by his unofficial count, Wednesday's practice was stopped after 46 plays of team drills. For reference, the Cowboys ran 56 plays on Monday and 65 on Sunday, per Archer.
After practice, three-time All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb was asked about Schottenheimer's message to the team. Lamb's response, per Archer:
"Do we want to be champions?" Lamb said. "Because throughout the years of us being here, talent was never the problem for us. 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? Honestly when that momentum is going our way, we need to continue to keep the foot on the pedal and make the right play and always think about the team."
Last season, Dallas ranked 29th in the NFL in penalties committed and 28th in turnovers. Granted, the Cowboys were missing starting quarterback Dak Prescott from Week 10 on, but they undoubtedly held themselves back from a better finish than their 7-10 record in Mike McCarthy's fifth and final season as the team's head coach.
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After moving on from McCarthy, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones promoted Schottenheimer to head coach. Schottenheimer served as Dallas' offensive coordinator the past two seasons.
Although Schottenheimer has been a mainstay in the league's coaching ranks since the late '90s, he never had a head job before this year. Now he's trying to set a standard for discipline in training camp.
'Basically, we just have to understand that Dallas isn't on the schedule, so we're nobody's enemies,' Cowboys second-year reserve offensive tackle Nate Thomas said, per The Associated Press. 'We have to make sure that we're taking care of each other but also getting the good work in because we have some guys down right now, and we have to understand that we need these reps.
"So we can't go out here and start fighting each other just because somebody did a little extra pushing or whatever the case may be."
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