FRISCO, Texas — The National Football League in general is a “what have you done for me lately?” type of business, especially for their coaches.
Even though Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy helped guide America’s team to three consecutive 12-win seasons from 2021 to 2023, owner and general manager Jerry Jones decided to increase the pressure on McCarthy and his staff in 2024. The decision to have them as coach The final year of their five-year coaching contracts came after Dallas’ 48-32 win against the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round of the NFC last January. jones He said, “We all have Green Bay on our minds.” after the Cowboys’ 2024 preseason finale when asked why McCarthy’s expiring contract had not yet been addressed. Jones also said that “heartbreak, pressure and competition” will bring out the best in his coaches and players.
However, Jones changed his tune for the better regarding McCarthy’s future in Dallas on Tuesday after the Surprising 34-26 victory for the Cowboys over the Washington Commanders that brought their record to 4-7 and snapped a five-game losing streak.
“I don’t think it’s crazy at all,” Jones he said on 105.3 The Fan when asked about the possibility of rehiring McCarthy for 2025. and beyond, through The Athletic. “This is a Super Bowl-winning coach. Mike McCarthy has been there and done that. He has great ideas. We have a lot of football left.”
McCarthy stated Tuesday afternoon that he hasn’t consciously thought about his contract status, but is open to speculation and/or positive vibes about his future.
“I haven’t really talked about it all year and I’m definitely not going to start a short week in a big division game,” McCarthy said Tuesday. “I’m not going to waste the positive vibes either. Keep them coming, it’s all good. That’s not something I’m really focused on.”
To be fair to McCarthy, a lot of what has happened has been the result of injury issues or lack of depth after an inactive free agency period. Quarterback Dak Prescott is out for the year with a hamstring injury, four-time Pro Bowl defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence has been out since Week 4, cornerback DaRon Bland made his 2024 season debut in Week 12 after suffering a stress fracture in his foot, and three- At that time, All-Pro Micah Parsons missed four games with an ankle strain, just to name a few of the many injuries.
“As a staff, this is a big challenge,” McCarthy said. “As we’ve talked about as a staff, we will be better coaches because of this experience. I believe that. I’ve experienced it in the past. That’s what this league is about. It’s not about players getting injured. It’s really when and who, the moment , prepare young people to play as quickly as possible. You have different levels every year. If you are going to train in this league, you must be able to train these times I know everything. We will be better with this experience.
Despite the rollercoaster nature of the Cowboys’ 2024 season, McCarthy still has buy-in from key locker room leaders. That’s nothing considering their Thanksgiving Day opponent, the New York Giants, had several players, namely wide receiver Malik Nabers and defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. Use the word “smooth” to describe the state of your computer. Nabers too He specifically criticized head coach Brian Daboll’s plays.
“He’s a player’s coach,” Cowboys All-Pro CeeDee Lamb said of McCarthy on Tuesday. “We all love him, everything he does for the team and as far as leading us, just having the trust and everything he’s willing to put in for us, we love every detail. As for Jerry and everyone. Those situations have nothing to do with “Don’t try to get me into it, but I love Mike, that’s for sure.”
“We knew the type of talent we had in this room, and we knew the type of talent that we just need to hunker down and understand where we need to go as a team, especially on defense,” Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis said Tuesday. . “We kept working and we believed in it (defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer’s scheme)… The way we played last week, I think all of us believe it (we believe in the coaching staff). I’ve never wavered. “My confidence (on the coaching staff) never wavered.”
