DALLAS — The Mike McCarthy era for the Dallas Cowboys has produced a mixed bag of results.
In four years with the team, McCarthy has guided the franchise to two NFC East titles, three playoff appearances, and became the first coach in franchise history to win 12 games in three consecutive seasons. Those are all plusses no doubt, especially for a franchise that is quick to broadcast its successes in lieu of the ultimate prize that has evaded them for decades.
Under his tenure, the Cowboys also won their first playoff road game in 30 years and have been to the postseason each season where quarterback Dak Prescott has been healthy enough to start the majority of games. About the only thing McCarthy hasn’t been able to do is end the dreaded streak of not making the NFC championship game that’s over a quarter century old.
Unfortunately, that streak got extended to 28 years this season, and with the Detroit Lions – of all teams – finally making it to the final four, the Cowboys can’t be feeling any lower. The downside to coaching Jerry Jones’ franchise means that the stakes are always higher, and McCarthy hasn’t gotten the Cowboys where they ultimately need to go, a return to the Super Bowl.
While we’re counting, make it three straight embarrassing playoff exits for Dallas under the current head coach. Apparently, another meltdown in the playoffs, including two home defeats, wasn’t enough for Jones to make a coaching change. That might say more about the owner than it does anyone else.
It’s Jones who has continuously said that he’d give and pay just about anything to win another Super Bowl, yet his actions haven’t backed up his words. Bringing back a lame duck coach, who has been the leader for a team that’s underachieved in back-to-back-to-back postseasons is the very definition of insanity.
Doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results seems foolish, yet here the Cowboys are, running it back again with McCarthy. And from the looks of it, the defensive coordinator might be back as well. There are only two coaching jobs that remain open, and Dan Quinn continues to interview, but hasn’t gotten hired as of yet. If he’s not, Quinn is expected to return to his position in Dallas.
What could go wrong with having the same offensive and defensive coordinators back for a team that hasn’t been able to get over the hump together?
This was Jones’ dilemma, to keep a coach that has been more successful than any other for his team since they won the Super Bowl, or to move on to someone who might have more success in the playoffs with a talented roster that looked to have everything in place. Moving on would mean more of the unknown, something that Jones has lost a taste for over the last decade or so.
Clearly the owner felt comfortable with the former, which has become a Jones problem. Holding onto things for longer than necessary without getting results has become as much of a staple in Dallas as losing playoff games. He kept the previous coach, Jason Garrett, longer than he should have, and there were just three postseason appearances, and two playoff wins to show for nine years of service.
With McCarthy, Jones has gotten much more than he did with Garrett, but neither has taken him to another Super Bowl and expecting McCarthy to figure it out in year five with all of the pressure of doing so without assurances that he’s the long term answer seems dubious at best. Jones is acting as though the playoff losses have all been flukes and he’s wagering 12 months of his life on that bet.
Keeping his current coach shows remarkable patience, of course, considering how embarrassing the past three seasons have ended. There were very few people who believed McCarthy would return after watching Jones’ reaction to his team getting their butts whipped in the wild card round of the playoffs, when Dallas turned an undefeated season at home into a blowout loss in that very same building.
Yet here the Cowboys are, peddling the same optimism just days after another crushing season-ending defeat. Jones put out a lengthy statement as to why he’s keeping his coach, and throngs of Cowboys fans everywhere rolled their eyes. McCarthy added his take as well, promising that he’s coaching a championship-caliber team.
Jones might be rubbing off on his coach because McCarthy went to the same playbook as his owner, asking fans to blindly buy into a team, organization, and players who haven’t gotten the job done. The current Cowboys don’t have to pay for the sins of the last 28 years, but some of them do carry responsibility for what’s happened in the playoffs for three straight seasons.
Everyone wants to win a championship, but Dallas hasn’t even narrowed the gap on coming close. While the Cowboys will be watching this Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers are playing in their fourth consecutive NFC title game. Those same 49ers have eliminated Dallas twice in the playoffs, and the most recent loss came against a 9-8 Packers team that runs their offense like the 49ers years after McCarthy was excised from Green Bay.
Jones, McCarthy, and the franchise itself wants fans to be patient with them while staying the course and they expect fans to buy into another year with a coach who habitually sees everything fall apart when the lights get brightest, and a defensive coordinator who can’t seem to solve the riddle of the Kyle Shanahan-style offense.
Somehow, bringing this coaching staff back was deemed the best option to Jones rather than trying to find the coach that can deliver on his yearly promises. Perhaps a Hall of Fame coach like Bill Belichick might have been a better choice. The former coach of the New England Patriots could have infused focus and discipline into a team that sorely needs it, but his experience of having total control likely would not mesh with Jones.
A younger, cutting-edge offensive coordinator to help take the emerging offense into today’s age might have been the right call, as well. A few candidates hit that demographic, one of whom is right down the road with the Houston Texans. Their offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik is seen as a one of bright young minds in the game and comes from the very coaching tree that’s leading the most successful offenses.
Instead, Jones doesn’t want to wait out a first-time head coach again like he did with Garrett. He’d rather have the familiar coach and system that he’s had for the last four years rather than go outside his comfort zone and hire someone new. McCarthy has proven that he can keep the Cowboys competitive and in the spotlight. With McCarthy, the expectations can remain high, even if there’s no reason to believe the lofty playoff goals can be reached after four years of missteps and no other changes expected from the coaching staff.
Jones is 81-years old and there’s no telling how much longer he’s going to be around to lead his Cowboys. But he’d rather kick the can down the road one more time, likely wasting another year that he can’t get back, instead of taking a risk on the unknown. It feels like he’s just delaying the inevitable.
For a man that’s lived his life by taking risks, why he’s so reluctant to take the next one is anyone’s guess. So, it’s off to the 2024 campaign for the Cowboys with the same coach, likely the same offseason approach, and Jones once again asking fans to believe.
Pardon those who don’t want to get aboard the crazy train in 2024, where the expectations aren’t likely to meet reality, for a 29th straight year.
Do you agree with bringing back Mike McCarthy for another season in 2024? Share your thoughts with Ben on Twitter @BenGrimaldi.
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