"It’s definitely not a storybook beginning" - Brian Schottenheimer admits choking up on Cowboys head coaching debut in preseason game vs. Rams

Brian Schottenheimer had a rough start to his stint as the Dallas Cowboys' new head coach on Saturday, overseeing a 21-31 loss at the Los Angeles Rams that saw his team fail to score a touchdown until the fourth quarter.

After the game, the former offensive coordinator told the media:

“It’s definitely not a storybook beginning, that’s for sure. We just struggled.”

He also admitted to being overwhelmed by the magnitude of the situation he was in, to the point of nearly breaking into tears:

“It’s been a dream of mine to be in this chair… No one is going to work harder than me. We’re going to go look at this film and try to clean it up. I’ll remember this day for a long time. It was not the result that we wanted, but first time out there as a head coach, it felt pretty cool.”

Jon Machota

@jonmachota

Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer: “It’s definitely not a storybook beginning, that’s for sure. We just struggled.” Schottenheimer said he got choked up on his way to the stadium and again before kickoff while meeting with Jerry Jones. “It’s been a dream of mine to be in this

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Brian Schottenheimer reacts to CeeDee Lamb penalty, Joe Milton's performance

Besides Dallas' offensive struggles in the first half, Saturday's game will be more notable for a penalty that involved someone whom Brian Schottenheimer will not even start handling until the regular season begins.

During the second quarter, star wideout CeeDee Lamb was celebrating a long pass by Joe Milton to Jonathan Mingo when a referee ran into him, knocking him down. He was judged to have been standing too far out on the field and given an unsportsmanlike penalty, costing the team 15 yards. Schottenheimer bemoaned the incident:

"We got to be better with discipline. I hope the [official] is okay… We have to be better than that. CeeDee knows better, we know better.. we don't line up onsides, they warned us a couple times, we have to do a better job of coaching and playing."

And speaking of Milton, he praised the sophomore's performance (17 completions for 143 yards and a TD against an INT):

"I do think he settled down, I think he found his rhythm late, started using his legs a little bit better. Again, terrific talent that every rep he gets is going to help him become a great pro."

The Cowboys will return to Arlington for their next preseason game - against the Baltimore Ravens. Kickoff is at 6 PM CT.