Brian Schottenheimer Finally Explains Reason Behind Excessive Amount of Pens

Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer likes to have color-coordinated notes on gameday.

Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer during the second half against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer has a ton of different things to worry about on gameday.

Whether it's the offensive play-calling or game management, Schottenheimer is constantly moving from task to task with a loaded plate of responsibility.

But sprinkled into this is marking down his play sheet with different colored pens, something that caught national attention during Dallas' Week 1 loss to the New York Giants. Schottenheimer could be seen on the sideline with what seemed like an excessive amount of Sharpie markers, which quickly sparked jokes from NFL fans on social media.

Schottenheimer told reporters Friday that he saw the funny reactions while revealing why he need so many different pens in the first place.

The Answers to "Pen Gate" Are Here

Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer talks to down judge Derick Bowers (74) during the first quarter against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Schottenheimer said his daughter showed him the viral AI-generated image of himself with a countless amount of pens sticking out of his visor, something he jokingly said was "overdone."

"Yes, I've heard. I've seen it, my daughter sent it to me, so I am gonna get one of those pens that's got the multi color," Schottenheimer said. "You know, like where you can go red, brown. I got a lot of stuff in my pockets. I got a red flag I got to carry. But the one with like the entire head covered. I mean, I thought that might have been a little overdone."

Here's the AI-generated picture Schottenheimer is referring to, which got over 500,000 views on X:

How many pens/pencils do you need to not get out coached?! pic.twitter.com/GJDXSz4wJq

— domain expansion (@rell_757_allen) September 14, 2026

Schottenheimer said that different colors have different meanings on his call sheet, giving him an easier view of what's been called and what hasn't.

"There's different colors that I use for different things based on, we've called this, that's one color," Schottenheimer said. "I want to get to this, this is a different color, and I would say that the pens are not a distraction to me, but sounds like they are to some people. And I apologize for absolutely nothing."

With so many different pens to carry, Schottenheimer even proposed the idea of having Cowboys chief of staff Tyler Boyles handle pen duties instead on the sidelines.

"Maybe I'll just make Tyler Boyles just stand right next to me and hold all my pens, but that's usually the last thing I'm thinking about on gameday is pens."

All jokes aside, the Cowboys won't be laughing if they fall to 0-2 on Sunday in the home opener against the Washington Commanders.

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