Timing of Mike McCarthy Firing Was Bad But Not A Surprise
Assessing the Dallas Cowboys' Latest Coaching Decision
The Dallas Cowboys officially parting ways with head coach Mike McCarthy earlier this week should’ve surprised no one.
The writing had been on the wall all season, even as owner Jerry Jones and members of the Cowboys’ brass voiced support for the head coach. But there was no way he was going to come back after a 7-10 season during the final year of his contract.
The team underachieved during McCarthy’s four-year tenure in Dallas and failed to live up to the enormous (and frankly currently unrealistic) expectations and standards the organization and its fanbase routinely set each offseason.
It was the right move, but timing is the biggest issue here. Waiting for the Wild Card Round of the playoffs to mostly finish and allowing the other NFL teams looking for head coaches to get a head start on the interview process while Dallas misses chances to interview assistant coaches from playoff teams going through bye weeks surely seems like a boneheaded move.
But it’s also exactly what you’ve come to expect from the Cowboys. Isn’t it?
Nothing about this team is conventional — from the lofty expectations to the questionable decisions from leadership and everything in between. And living in Dallas for over a decade now, it’s obvious to me (and everyone outside the organization) that the fans are tired of the same old games and shenanigans.
The constant “preseason hype” and “we’re going all in” approach to the offseason and failing to meet expectations on the field gets tiresome quickly. The NFL and pro sports in general are result-driven businesses, and the return on investment has not been good enough for the Cowboys.
Dallas thinks of itself as a coveted NFL franchise because of its history, which no one will take away, and its high value from its branding as “America’s Team.” But it’s been 30 years since the team last reached the NFC Championship Game. In fact, if the Washington Commanders surprise everyone by knocking off the Detroit Lions this weekend (I don’t think they will), every NFC team except for the Cowboys will have appeared in the NFC Championship since the Cowboys last made it that far in the playoffs.
Since then, Dallas has had 7 head coaches, including Barry Switzer who remains the last coach to take the Cowboys to the Super Bowl. Only 3 have been able to push the Cowboys past the Wild Card Round.
Proud alumni and supporters will tell you the job opening is the most coveted on the market. And of course they would because most of them played during one of the franchise’s best eras. But what evidence remains to support that in the NFL’s current landscape?
Yes, there are only 32 NFL head coaching jobs in the world, and there are several current openings with much worse situations than Dallas. But let’s stop pretending like there aren’t other factors (over-involved ownership and limited decision-making abilities among them) that could deter some of the top candidates from “America’s Team.”
The next coach of the Dallas Cowboys is anyone’s guess at this point and much like spinning a roulette wheel. Does Jerry Jones go for a big splash hire like a Deion Sanders? Does he make a sensible choice with Robert Saleh or Aaron Glenn? Does he roll the dice on Jason Witten for some reason? Does he make a lesser but still somewhat surprising move that’s completely on par with his track record and bring in Kliff Kingsbury or even take a shot at Steve Sarkisian?
Whoever it is will certainly have his work cut out for him as he tries to reestablish the franchise on the field.
Many questions remain unanswered, but the Cowboys are more than just a coach away from returning to the pinnacle of the NFL — no matter how hard some try to sell a different narrative.
There’s a sense of “cultural entitlement” around the franchise that has not been earned for decades, and it’s not necessarily with the players. So while the coaching change was expected and needed, it’s only a small step forward. McCarthy’s replacement will tell us if Dallas’ ownership is serious about winning again or just trying to save face and promote their brand.