Culture or Scheme? Which is Most Vital?
On the topic of what we are looking for in the ultimate new Cowboys Head Coach.
Today, we are in full job search mode on the Dallas Cowboys front and we should probably prepare for a few weeks of twists and turns because that is how they do things around here.
The Cowboys have a job opening and our imaginations are allowed to run wild until they hire someone. I wanted to start with a conversation I have been threatening to have for a few months with my football buddy, Joey Ickes.
Joey is a Cowboys enthusiast and a guy with some very intense opinions on how things need to be. Often, I agree with him, but on this issue, we seem to completely disagree. I am 100% a believer that the next Cowboys coach needs to be a guy who can build a culture. Get me Dan Campbell! Of course, he isn’t available, but the transformation of the Detroit Lions by one man’s vision and actions is one of the most incredible home makeovers we have ever seen. And our franchise seems to need a major makeover. Get me someone who can build that.
Joey, I believe, thinks I am crazy. He thinks the best culture is a scheme that gives your offense a strategic advantage. If you have that, the culture is a result of winning so much. If you win and have a coaching advantage in the Xs and Os, then your culture takes care of itself.
So, this might be the chicken-and-egg discussion. Which comes first? Which causes the other? Which is the target, and which is the result?
Let’s chat it out today with Joey himself.
Bob: Ok, I want to start by saying that I care very much about scheme, so we can dive deeper into that, but Joey, because you seem very convinced that culture is either not a real thing or perhaps a crutch for those of us who try to sell it (perhaps you might want to clarify on that), could you offer an overall positioning statement on scheme vs culture and why you are 100% a scheme guy?
Joey: For me, the things we attribute to “culture” are mostly a result of the team believing they have a chance to win. And that the two things we know drive that more than anything else are whether you can score enough points or not. Over and over we have seen teams with really great defenses fall apart because the offense is putting the defense in a bad spot consistently.
Bob: See, I don’t know if that is fully true. I think the NFL room is built on accountability and holding everyone to a standard. Surely, we don’t believe what Dan Campbell has built is what any NFL organization isn’t looking for, right? From his first press conference, he injected a new attitude and belief and bar of expectation that had not lived in Detroit ever before. It didn’t wait until winning, it started immediately. As important as Ben Johnson is, I would argue Campbell is more important – which I assume you will find absurd, right?
Joey: I wouldn’t go so far as to say it is absurd, but I think we have seen that “type” of coach look like a genius, and then suddenly when the offensive play caller leaves (as is inevitable if there is success), the team falls apart. It’s why as soon as you mention hiring ANY of those CEO type or defensive leaning head coaches, the first thing everyone asks, is “who is he gonna hire to run the offense?”
The best example in recent memory is Mike Vrabel… looked like a culture genius, tough guy, discipline etc etc. and then as soon as he doesn’t have Matt LaFleur or Arthur Smith, they crater, and he ultimately loses the job.
The Lions were terrible in the first half season with Campbell. They were talent poor for sure, but they weren’t even competitive, then he fired Anthony Lynn, and promoted Ben Johnson, and the whole thing changed almost immediately. The good offensive scheme coaches have attention to detail, and accountability built into the way they lead an offense.