How Michael Irvin ended up at dinner in Dallas with Brian Schottenheimer
If you’ve ever been to the restaurant Catch in downtown Dallas off Maple Avenue, then you know it’s a grand experience. Marble floors and elegant chandeliers. Wagyu and sushi on the table.
And if you were in the Dallas culinary staple on Monday night, you may have seen Cowboys Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin running into Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer.
It was a chance meeting, as both are well into the offseason of their own respective responsibilities. For Schottenheimer, it’s running the organization into his second season as head coach. For Irvin, he is preparing to take on a challenge as the host for The White House podcast on Netflix. But when two Cowboys legends see each other, football will certainly make its way back to the table.
“I was at dinner the other day with Coach Schottenheimer,” Irvin said. “We had a great conversation. I told him that I loved the direction he’s going in. I saw what I needed to see.”
Despite a 7-9-1 finishing record to the season, Irvin is confident in the direction that things are heading in under Schottenheimer. When pointing to positives, the fifth-highest scoring offense in the NFL was a direct topic.
“What we figured last year, we figured a solid offense, but can it be consistent? They were consistently putting up 30 points a game,” he said. “We’re right where we want to be.”
Obviously, the concerns from the 2025 Cowboys season almost exclusively existed on the defensive side of the ball. The Cowboys fired defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus after a season that saw them give up the third-most yards in the NFL (377.0 per game) and the most points in the league (30.1 per game). After the hire of Christian Parker to take over coordinator duties, Irvin has confidence in his newest dinner-mate to right the ship for a quick turnaround in 2026.
“You solidify this defense now, get players on this defense,” Irvin said. “They have the ability to go get some guys that can focus on this defense. The Cowboys can be right up back in this mix.”
Schottenheimer has shown an affection for former players in his short tenure as head coach. He hosted an alumni day during the offseason last year when dozens of former players came to hang around the team during OTAs. The same gesture was extended to former players for a home game in 2025 when they were granted sideline access during the Oct. 19 home game against the Washington Commanders.
