The Dallas Cowboys have long been a team with traditions as ingrained as their star-studded history. In the Cowboys’ locker room, rookie hazing usually means one thing: grab a mic and sing in front of the whole team. For decades, it has been an initiation rite meant to break the ice and build camaraderie. It’s an old-school ritual, a Cowboy rite of passage not to be messed with. But this year? Things cracked wide open. New head coach Brian Schottenheimer wasn’t having it.

This is a coach who’s been through tougher battles than a shaky rendition of Mary Jane, ditched the tradition this year. And who likes to do things his own way. Set new trends rather than follow dusty old ones. After all, he invented his own identity: The “Schotty Ball.” So instead of forcing rookies to sing solo under the spotlight, he handed them a microphone for a full-on talent show. Legitimizing the whole ‘let’s get creative and have a damn good time’ approach. And the rookies ran with it.

The rookie show took place in Oxnard, California, right on the preseason training grounds. And according to Brian Schottenheimer, it was a hit. “I was one of the hot topics. They did an incredible job. I’ve probably seen in my career 15-18 rookie shows, and this was one of the best ones,” he said. The highlight? LB Justin Barron’s spot-on Schottenheimer impersonation – backwards visor, two-tone blue shirt, and a reenactment of that post-Rams prayer where he accidentally swore. “There were some curse words in there, so that was good. The (veteran players) loved it,” Schottenheimer said.

Leading the charge was first-round pick Tyler Guyton, who didn’t just survive rookie night – he owned it. His pick? Rick James’ Mary Jane. The room, players, coaches, even support staff – ate it up. “Yeah, I did my thing on that one,” he grinned. And it wasn’t a one-hit wonder. Days later, during a team meeting, Jeopardy! session, Guyton got hit with the curveball: spell “hippopotamus.” The guy just rattled it off like he’d been preparing for a spelling bee his whole life. Dak Prescott’s reaction? “Still mind blown…that’s the intelligence and confidence for sure.” That mix of confidence and quick thinking is exactly what Dallas needs from the guy replacing Tyron Smith.

But Guyton’s making his real mark long before kickoff. Two days after the draft, he moved to Frisco and went straight to work with Duke Manyweather. Just six days a week of footwork drills and strength work. Even a couple of blown tires couldn’t slow him down. Coaches rave about his ability to learn, replicate, and turn raw talent into NFL-ready tools. And early reps against Micah Parsons have been trial by fire. Parsons joked he can’t “teach him too much” or risk getting dominated. For now, Guyton’s not trying to be the next Tyron Smith – just the best version of himself. 

But Schotty is shaking things up in Dallas by not being afraid to challenge the status quo. Case in point: that infamous post-game prayer against the Rams, where he accidentally dropped a curse word. Instead of pretending it didn’t happen, he went full accountability mode. “So, I fired myself from doing the post-game prayer. I will not be doing that anymore,” he said. That’s not the kind of self-awareness you usually see in a league where tradition is treated like gospel. Just a coach willing to roast himself before anyone else can. But Schotty’s struggles go beyond football formula changes. 

Brian Schottenheimer’s fight with Cancer

The decision to scrap the singing wasn’t just a whim. Schottenheimer, 51, revealed earlier this week that he beat thyroid cancer back in 2002. At 28, coaching under his father Marty with the San Diego Chargers, he was diagnosed during training camp. He feared losing his voice. And his career – but made a full recovery. On the same week, the public learned about team owner Jerry Jones’ decade-long battle with stage 4 melanoma.

So, that experience gives him perspective on what actually matters in camp. “Mine was less serious. I was 28. Nothing like Stage 4, nothing like Jerry and what other people go through,” he said, referencing Jones’ melanoma battle. “You hear cancer and it scares the hell out of you.” Schottenheimer recalled pulling his dad out of a defensive meeting to break the news, his voice cracking on the call.

But what followed was a swift medical action prompted by a call from Marty Schottenheimer to Dan Snyder, a former Washington owner who had battled the same cancer. Within the next couple of days, Brian was on an operating table at the Mayo Clinic, where surgeons removed his thyroid and 17 lymph nodes.

So, now, thankfully, Brian Schottenheimer made a full recovery and is now able to share his story. He expressed gratitude that Jerry Jones’ openness gives people hope and strength to say, ‘Hey, you can beat this.’ His journey serves as a testament to resilience – both on and off the field. The scars on his neck are a reminder. But also a symbol of survival and a fight won, setting an example for the team he now leads.