Why It’s Not Surprising The Cowboys Kept Mike McCarthy
We all saw it. The Cowboys got punked by the Packers in the Wildcard round. Worse yet, Dallas didn’t even look prepared. Dak played like trash and the defense folded like a cheap tent. Dallas is now 1-3 in the playoffs under Mike McCarthy and it very much feels like they’ve hit their ceiling.
You can lead a horse to water but you can’t force them to drink it.
Except the Cowboys didn’t do that. Despite the ugly playoff loss, McCarthy is coming back for the 2024-25 NFL Season. Despite the warranted criticism the Cowboys will get, it’s pretty easy to understand why Dallas is running things back.
There are some things that we have to acknowledge with McCarthy. I understand frustration but McCarthy deserves some respect. He put his balls on the table firing Kellen Moore and was proven right. Did anybody see the Chargers offense with Moore this past year? Downright ugly. Brandon Staley was clearly the main problem but Moore’s offense didn’t save the ship.
Dak Prescott also had his best season. That’s not really disputable. The former Mississippi State product posted a 36-9 TD to INT ratio while completing a career high 69.5% of his throws. You can’t just overlook that. McCarthy clearly managed Dak well during the regular season and just throwing that away doesn’t feel wise.
Fun fact! Did you know that Mike McCarthy has the best winning percentage in the entire history of the Cowboys franchise? That’s a real stat. His 62.7% win percentage during the regular season is the best in franchise history. Surely… that can’t be ignored.
More than anything, firing McCarthy means relinquishing power. McCarthy is a loyal soldier. He coaches the players the front office gives him. Will McClay and Stephen Jones have proven to do a really good job with the draft. If you hire another coach, they likely want some say in personnel decisions. Something the Dallas brass probably doesn’t want to relinquish. In fairness, they have a right to feel that way. Micah Parsons and CeeDee Lamb didn’t just show up. Guys like McClay put that roster intact.
Again, this isn’t the move I would have made. Jim Harbaugh would be on his way to town. Bill Belichick and Mike Vrabel certainly should have also been considered. It’s just worth noting that Dallas isn’t totally crazy for running this back. They have justifiable evidence to give McCarthy another shot.
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