Cowboys Explain Major Changes in Locker Room Complete With Ping-Pong Table

It has been over 25 years, but Brian Schottenheimer has gotten his first head coaching role in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys, and he's determined to do things his way.

Having had Mike McCarthy as head coach for the past five seasons, the players had naturally gotten used to a certain way of doing things, including how they sat in team meetings and even the locker room.

Well, Schottenheimer has thrown that out the window - he wants change.

One such change has been to switch where players sit in the locker room, with Micah Parsons now joining Dak Prescott in the middle of the locker room.

But why were locker room changes made in the first place?

"I did, along with the help of the staff," Schottenheimer said on making changes. "Again, they [players] don't really get a say in that, but there's a method to the madness. When the guys went into the team room for the first time, I made them all stand up after they sat down, and I had them move seats. Why? It's a new year, it's 2025, we'll do that in 2026, we'll do that in 2027. I think when you start a new year, do something different, change something up. It's something that's talked about, thought about, but there's a method to the madness."

Now, in the grand scheme of things, where players sit determines how well they play on Sundays? No, but it's not about that.

It's about getting comfortable with everyone in the locker room. Building that connection with every player on the roster.

Micah, next to Dak, could be seen as a leadership step Parsons will be taking. (Our Mike Fisher has more below from inside the locker room - complete with a new ping-pong table! - at The Star ...)

For others, it is about developing that relationship with each other to build a stronger bond than what has been done under McCarthy.

It's a new year, and a new way of doing things for the Cowboys under  Schottenheimer, and while some might find it hard to connect all the dots right now, just remember one thing.

There's a method to Schotty's madness, even if we can't quite see it.