Schottenheimer says his first calls after getting the job offer were to his wife and mother. This is what he told them.

Schottenheimer replaced Mike McCarthy, who recently departed after five seasons. McCarthy (49-35) led the Cowboys to the postseason three times, getting just one victory. McCarthy also produced three consecutive 12-win seasons.

After the Dallas Cowboys didn’t reach an agreement to retain coach Mike McCarthy, owner Jerry Jones chose a successor from within and promoted offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to head coach, in a move that would have been seen as stunning as recently as a few days ago.