The most significant offseason change in Dallas wasn't roster-related. Instead, moving on from offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and replacing him with Brian Schottenheimer as Mike McCarthy takes over play-calling represents the biggest Cowboys shakeup.
Despite the massive change, with McCarthy insisting -- as he's wont to do in the offseason -- he desires running the ball more, Schottenheimer remains committed to ensuring speed on offense.
"We wanna play physical, fast and to make everyone cover the entire field," Schottenheimer said this week, . "… I want us to be able to play fast."
There are two different elements of speed: in-play and between plays.
Dallas added in-play speed by trading for Brandin Cooks, and the only significant addition to the backfield was sixth-round back Deuce Vaughn, which means Tony Pollard should see the field more when fully healthy. The Cowboys have the speed to stress defenses.
The more interesting question this season is how fast the Cowboys' offense will move between plays. Last year Dallas ranked as one of the quickest-paced offenses in the NFL under Dak Prescott. In , only Philadelphia ran plays quicker than Dallas -- and that's with Prescott missing five games.
Schottenheimer noted that the team isn't completely tossing out the old playbook but rather tweaking it.
"It's been a grind, (but) it's been fun," Schottenheimer said. "As you guys know, the system's not broken. It's not broken. They've won a lot of games here. Mike's been around for that.
"They've scored a ton of points and I have a ton of respect for [former assistant coaches] Kellen and (Doug Nussmeier) and Skip (Peete) and (Joe) Philbin -- I've coached with most of those guys before. In terms of the process, we're getting organized for OTAs. We've had a lot of discussions."
The Cowboys' pace of play and how McCarthy balances the run and pass will be things to track during training camp and early in the season. Words are easy in the spring. The truth comes on the field in September.
