Michael Irvin issues strong message to Jerry Jones & Co. after their decision to pick Brian Schottenheimer over Deion Sanders

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones decided to promote from within and made former offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer the team's new head coach. The move was popular in some corners of the fanbase but not well-received in others.

On Wednesday, former Cowboy Michael Irvin spoke on 'Speak on FS1' about the franchise. He gave a motivational speech about what the Cowboys need to do to win and said the franchise has to stop making the "same mistakes":

"Let me tell you how I would approach all this. I would say hey guys, these last offseasons, all we have heard about and talked about is finances. Just dollars and cents. The NFL New Year started March 12th. We're only a few days into the new year and already at a place I call critical mass. We cannot continue to make the same mistakes where we spent all our offseason time focusing on only the dollar."

Irvin then went on to talk about the choice of Brian Schottenheimer as head coach. Notably, the Cowboys picked Schottenheimer despite reports that Deion Sanders was interested in the job.

"You have hand-picked Brian Schottenheimer as our new head coach. That was a big boy decision. Now it's time to grow up and show up every day. Cowboys nation, the coaching decisions have been made. So, it's time for us to back up and fully support this coaching staff. Our team will have great players but it will take more than great skill to win an NFL Championship.

"The time is now. Let's get going. Get everybody out of the locker room that ain't about championships. The time is now. You can't wait to September and expect it. It's now or never. It's now, or we're gonna be getting Deion Sanders next year."

Jerry Jones promoted Brian Schottenheimer rather than hire someone from outside the organization

Jerry Jones is arguably the most hands-on head coach in the NFL. He is known for being involved with the team's football operations more than most other NFL owners. So, fans are quick to blame Jones when things do not go right for the Cowboys.

Jerry Jones chose to hire Brian Schottenheimer as the team's head coach after he was the offensive coordinator for the past two seasons. The move was disappointing to many Cowboys fans because of the rumors that Deion Sanders was interested in the job.

While it was never confirmed, with Sanders also saying he wasn't interested in coaching in the NFL, many believe he would have made the jump if Dallas had seriously pursued him.

Coaching the Cowboys always comes with expectation and pressure, and Schottenheimer will be feeling it this year. After watching their NFC East rival Philadelphia Eagles win the Super Bowl, Schottenheimer enters the season with not only everything to prove to fans but also Deion Sanders as a potential replacement if it goes awry.