News Article
Published
Oct 16, 2026 at 08:13 PM EDT
Dallas Cowboys fans were given a little bit of a jump scare this morning.
Ahead of Week 6, which will see the Cowboys take on the Green Bay Packers, Dallas made some changes. One of those was hiring former Cleveland Browns head coach and Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine to work under Christian Parker.
However, when Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer told 103 The Fan on Friday that Pettine would be reporting to him and not Parker, pearls were clutched.
So, yes, he had to clear it up.
“I didn’t really think about it because to me it was a very easy answer,” Schottenheimer said during a press conference after he was asked about it. “When you’re the head coach, coaches, they report to you. I don’t think there’s many structures in the league that are any different than that. And yeah, so to me, when you’re the head coach, they all report to you. And Mike Pettine’s no different.”
No hidden agenda in sight.
According to Sports Illustrated, Pettine and Dallas have been in talks about “a potential role on Parker’s staff since spring. It’s reported that while Parker works the sidelines, Pettine will be watching from the booth.
Even though he’s coming into the fray six weeks in the regular season, he understands that he’ll be playing catch-up, SI says.
“It’s been a busy week, but when somebody you care about reaches out – I just felt I needed to answer the call,” Pettine said. “I’m just trying to hit the ground running here, and I feel like I’m trying to sip water from a fire hose, but trying to get caught up on all the film and make observations here and there.”
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