NFL
By: Rick O’Donnell
With just over a week until his contract with the team expires, the Dallas Cowboys need to decide what to do with HC Mike McCarthy. It’s an odd predicament to be in. On one hand, he hasn’t elevated the Cowboys to the Super Bowl contenders they thought he would. On the other, he’s consistently been a winner in Dallas. The Philadelphia Eagles let Andy Reid go despite his winning ways in his tenure. Could the Cowboys afford to do the same with McCarthy?
Cowboys fans might be calling for his head after a losing season in Dallas. As of writing this, they’re 7-9 and have been eliminated from the playoffs despite their late-season push. Yet, how soon Dallas fans forget about the back-to-back-to-back 12-5 seasons under McCarthy and it being his first losing season since taking over the team. With all that on the table, he’s won just under 60% of his games at the helm of America’s team. Is it his fault Dak Prescott got hurt this season and missed the majority of the games? Even without Dak, the Cowboys stayed competitive and a win on Sunday over the Commanders Sunday would put them a game shy of a winning record without their star QB.
Unfortunately, Dallas Cowboys fans don’t want to hear that. The real problem with McCarthy is the postseason. He’s been in Dallas since 2020 and will have 1 win to show for it in the postseason. In the four times the Cowboys have been in the playoffs, they’ve walked away with a victory once. In five seasons, the guy who was supposed to elevate the Cowboys to the next level has only accomplished one playoff win.
So here we are after 5 seasons and 47 wins, wondering if it was enough to resign McCarthy. Too bad, it won’t matter. with a career .613 win % if that’s not enough for the Dallas Cowboys, who are they going to find better that is available? There aren’t many proven coaches out there.
Then, of course, we come to the real problem. Is it Mike McCarthy’s fault the front office decided to run it back? The Cowboys went into the offseason with three 12-win seasons under their belt and decided, we’re good. The entire NFL was making moves and Jerry Jones and company said “We’re happy with the guys we have” and decided to do very little to improve in the offseason.
In today’s NFL, that was the worst idea in regards to becoming a Super Bowl contender. The entire league went out of their way to get better and all the Cowboys did was sign their guys long-term. The downfall of the Dallas Cowboys can be pushed to the head coaches to be a scapegoat for Jerry Jones all you want, but it’s his stubborn pride that is holding this team back. You can fire coach after coach but until that changes, you’ll get more of the same.
Mike McCarthy didn’t decide to stay put in the offseason. He didn’t create a toxic environment that had the owner and players lashing out at the media. McCarthy wasn’t the one whose pride kept them from hanging up means to block out the sun in tough games. He’s not the one bringing in enigmatic players who want to build a brand over a winning tradition. That’s all Jerry Jones and that’s all he cares about is the Dallas Cowboys brand. You can call for the head of Mike McCarthy all you want until the Cowboys make winning more important than being in front of a camera then it’ll just be more of the same.
