Cowboys Changes? Schottenheimer Announces Empty Promise To 'Look At Everything'

ARLINGTON, Texas - The Dallas Cowboys napped their way to a 24-16 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers here at AT&T Stadium on Thursday, dropping to 2-3 on the season. ...

And motivating the head coach to announce that changes are coming.

Kinda.

Maybe.

But ... frankly, doubtful.

This was a game in which whiz-kid coordinator Christian Parker and his defense play their role in getting a win over a winless Buccaneers, with a rookie quarterback making his second start.

This was a game in which Dallas' wobbly special-teams gang would only have to avoid screwing up in order for the 10-point-favored Cowboys to win.

This was a game in which "GOT!'' (Greatest Offense There Is!'') would get celebrated on national TV.

Nope. Nope. Nope.

Bucs UDFA rookie QB Jalon Daniels only had six incompletions, the defense gave up 241 yards on the ground, and they saw a Buccaneers offense win time of possession by nearly 19 minutes.

Special teams coughed up a fumble.

And Dak Prescott's offense was inept, to the point at which I suggest "GOTI'' stands for "Get Out The Ibupropen.''

READ MORE:  Cowboys Recap & Takeaways: Dallas Implodes Against Winless Bucs in 24-16 Loss

Calls for change are now mounting in Cowboys Nation, and Brian Schottenheimer seems aware.

"Yeah, I'm gonna look at everything," Schottenheimer said. "I'll spend countless hours trying to figure it out, and getting a chance to step back with these five games and see what we need to improve."

"Countless hours,'' eh?

At this moment, not even "countless hours'' seem like enough time.

"Look at everything,'' eh?

At this moment, not even "everything'' seems like enough things.

Is Schotty firing himself for being 9-12-1 during his time here?

Is he stripping himself of play-calling duties in favor of a coordinator in Klayton Adams who's never done it?

Is he dumping the overwhelmed Parker, the ballyhooed 34-year-old who five weeks ago was the subject of stories insisting he'd be one-and-done in Dallas because of his destiny to be a head coach?

Is he firing the special-teams coach Nick Sorensen?

There's a "maybe'' on the last one. But that's it.

The Bucs were 0-4, had a rookie quarterback making his second start, and he looked comfortable all game, and he had a run game to lean on as well, with Bucky Irving going for 165 yards.

There will be some tough and awkward conversations at The Star over the next week as the Cowboys search for answers. No doubt about that, with owner Jerry Jones asking the questions.

"Extraordinarily, extraordinarily disappointed," Jones said of the loss. "You really do need to get it done when it's there to take.''

Are the answers in personnel? Dallas is heavily invested in the Dak Prescott-led offense. And on defense, the Cowboys changed the entire system and started the season with eight new starters - and that was before the recent trade for star corner Joey Porter Jr.

So the options of change are limited there, too.

Said Schottenheimer: "The way these guys work, the way this brotherhood is, the culture, the way the connection of the guys in that room are, is special. And because of that, I see a group of young men that are motivated to get it right."

Funny thing, because the world just watched Schotty's Cowboys and the world definitely did not "see a group of young men who are motivated.''

And maybe one of the things that needs to change is this "brotherhood/culture'' claim that is proving to be nothing but bumper-sticker baloney. ... maybe as empty as the promise of "change'' itself.