Brian Schottenheimer sets the table for Cowboys vs Panthers with a response to former Dallas starter’s trash talk
Rico Dowdle and Brian Schottenheimer are stirring the pot ahead of a fun matchup.
When the Dallas Cowboys allowed running back Rico Dowdle to walk in free agency, it was a surprise. It felt like Dowdle was one of the best kept secrets in the NFL and sure enough, the Carolina Panthers signed the productive back to a one-year deal worth only $2.75 million.
In Week 5, Dowdle showed the league what he’s capable of by rushing for 206 yards and adding 28 more as a receiver. Now, he’s set to face his former team and is feeling so confident that he sent a warning to the Cowboys defense on Sunday: ““They gotta buckle up, I think they know for sure, I’ve been there for five years. They didn’t keep me there for five years for no reason.”
Dowdle’s trash talk, though friendly respectful, prompted a similar response from Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer, who Dowdle knew as an offensive coordinator before his departure from the team.
Schottenheimer responds to Rico Dowdle’s comments, but his defense will be challenged
“It’ll be good to see Rico this weekend, I know we’re going to have to buckle up, he said,” Schottenheimer told reporters Monday. “So, we’ll bring our seat belts, Rico. We’ll buckle up.”
Schottenheimer is never afraid to give the media a good quote and this will just add fuel to the fire ahead of Dowdle’s revenge game. But the Cowboys defense better take Dowdle’s message seriously. Otherwise, the team could be in trouble. After all, the former Cowboys running back is seriously dealing damage.
Through five weeks, Dowdle is putting together some impressive stats, via Sports Info Solutions:
- 4th in EPA/attempt (min. 30 attempts, same for following stats)
- 5th in explosive play rate
- 4th in yards after contact per attempt
This is already shaping up to be the matchup of the game as the Cowboys defense needs to be better stopping the run. Through five weeks, they’re the third-worst defense in missed and broken tackles percentage and rank 17th in EPA/attempt vs. the run. A 20-point halftime lead against the New York Jets helped hide some of their problems but the Cowboys still allowed Breece Hall to rush for 113 yards in 14 attempts.
They’ll need to be better and beyond the fun back and forth between Dowdle and Dallas, Schottenheimer knows it.
“I think the main thing they want to do is run the football, whether it’s (Chubba) Hubbard or Rico,” Schottenheimer said.
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