FRISCO – Until Thursday, we thought we’d heard it all about Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer’s efforts to organically build what he hopes will be “the greatest culture in professional sports.” Last week we were told about Schottenheimer moving the ping pong table from The Star in Frisco’s players’ lounge to the locker room. And the putting contests. And the 10-foot basketball goal erected in the players’ lounge.

Football under the late May Sun: Photos from Cowboys' OTA practice at The Star 14 images View Gallery Now comes word that on last week’s first day of organized team activities, Schottenheimer surprised players by taking them on a field trip of sorts, roughly 10 minutes from The Star. Cowboys Be the smartest Cowboys fan. Get the latest news.

SIGN UP Or with: Google Facebook By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy “I can’t lie: He [Schottenheimer] started off hot,” fourth-year guard Tyler Smith said Thursday. “We went paintballing on the first day. I thought that was like a crazy thing.

It’s never happened before.” Instead of going into team meetings or running drills on The Star’s practice fields, players competed on a different kind of playing field, some more seriously than others. Advertisement “The best at paintball? Markquese Bell,” Smith said of the fourth-year safety.

“Oh, my God: Markquese Bell could probably go to SEAL Team 6.” Smith said the entire team had a blast. It certainly was a way for rookies and free agent acquisitions to get to know veteran Cowboys and vice versa. Smith, who stands 6-6 and weighs 332 pounds, figures he’s not a candidate for any special forces, paintball or otherwise.

Advertisement “The guys were going crazy,” he said with a laugh. “I’m not the best paintball guy myself. I’m a big target.” Advertisement Find more Cowboys coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.