Schottenheimer Wants Cowboys to Emulate Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant's Practice Habits

In his first year as Dallas Cowboys head coach, Brian Schottenheimer is using the example set by all-time greats in another sport to teach his team.

Schottenheimer told Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated that he's been trying to get the Cowboys to emulate the practice habits of NBA superstars Michael Jordan and the late Kobe Bryant.

"I remember Michael Jordan talking about practice all the time—If you practice the right way … and then Kobe [Bryant] adopted it," Schottenheimer said. "You practice the right way and games are easy. So we can’t simulate a real game out here like basketball can, because we can’t tackle and things like that, but you can push it, and you can get to the edge."

While there's been a bit of tumult in Dallas amid the ongoing contract dispute between the team and star edge rusher Micah Parsons, Schottenheimer said his strategy has been successful so far.

"We are an excellent, excellent practice team," he told Breer.

It's not always easy to create a game-like atmosphere in practice due to the way tackling is limited during training camp, but the Cowboys have committed to doing more 11-on-11 drills this offseason. Schottenheimer feels this will set them apart from the rest of the league.

"I talk to these guys and say what’s going to separate us from the rest of the league is the way we practice," Schottenheimer said. "It was one of the first things we ever talked about, in one of the first team meetings. And from OTAs, through minicamp to now, the energy and the effort that our guys are practicing with and running? I think we’re one of the few teams that still practices in the offseason program, like, does team (11-on-11). I talk to five or six of my peers, and they’re like, 'We don’t f---ing practice, we don’t do team anymore, we do seven-on-seven.'

"We decided we needed that edge, and so we taught our guys," he continued. "We defined how practice should run, and this is what shells practice looks like, and this is what a helmets practice looks like, and this is what a padded practice looks like. And these guys have been amazing."