The Dallas Cowboys are labeled “America’s Team,” but they haven’t been on America’s biggest sports stage since 1995 for their last Super Bowl. First-year coach Brian Schottenheimer is hoping to change their playoff narrative from one of struggle to one of success by bringing in some of the Cowboys greats to ignite a fire in his players. The Cowboys have a storied past, going to three Super Bowls in four years in the ’90s and earning five championship rings in total.

“I think the more those guys are around, the more we see their Super Bowl rings, which they wear very proudly, I think that’s great for our guys because that’s why we do it. We don’t hide from that,” Schottenheimer said, per ESPN.

He’s bringing in some of those decorated players to give advise to the current generation of Cowboys as part of “Legends Day.”

“There’s such great tradition and history here with the Cowboys, and you talk about not just the Super Bowl trophies, but some of the great players,” Schottenheimer said. “We wanted them to kind of see our energy and our juice, the way we like to operate. They paved the way for the guys that sit in those chairs today. I mean they’re part of our family. It’s like having an uncle or grandfather, in some cases, that you can use as a sounding board. You can use as a mentor. Are they going to be friends? Hell, I hope so. But if they’re not, there’s experiences that they can garner from the likes of Randy White, Bob Lilly, Michael Irvin, Dat Nguyen.”

Defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa said White “emphasized the confidence that you need to have.”

“Just supreme confidence in yourself and your teammates. If you’re trying to do something great out there on the field, you have to believe it first,” Odighizuwa said.

The pressure of a team in a 29-year championship drought aiming to turn things around can be a lot, but Schottenheimer doesn’t think it’s too much of a burden.

“I don’t think so. Not when the head coach sits up here and talks about the ultimate goal is to win a world championship. I think it’s to be celebrated,” Schottenheimer said. “You’ve got an incredible organization, incredible team, but the history speaks to what we’re about. So, I think some people might view it as being burdensome. I don’t. I think it’s awesome.”

Dallas has +5000 odds to win it all this year, per Caesars Sportsbook and +175 odds to make the playoffs. 

The Cowboys didn’t make the playoffs in 2024 and went one-and-done in 2023. They haven’t made it further than the divisional round since the last time they raised the Lombardi Trophy.