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Cowboys' Jerry Jones Won't Endorse Mike McCarthy as HC; Has a Lot to Think About
January 21, 2022
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made no assurances Friday that Mike McCarthy will be the team's head coach in 2022.
Speaking on 105.3 The Fan (h/t Clarence Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram), Jones refused to endorse McCarthy as the team's head coach and said he would make a change if he felt it would make a difference.
Jones said he has a lot to think about regarding McCarthy and the coaching staff and that he is frustrated and upset with how the Cowboys' season ended.
Despite going 12-5, winning the NFC East and earning the No. 3 seed in the NFC, the Cowboys were ousted in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs last weekend, falling 23-17 to the visiting San Francisco 49ers.
Dallas hired McCarthy prior to the 2020 season. While the Cowboys went 6-10 that year, he essentially got a pass since quarterback Dak Prescott missed most of the season because of injury.
The Cowboys were largely healthy in 2021, especially on offense with an impressive array of talent including Prescott, running backs Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard, wide receivers Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb, and tight end Dalton Schultz.
McCarthy also had great talent to work with on defense, such as rookie linebacker Micah Parsons and second-year cornerback Trevon Diggs, both of whom were Pro Bowlers and first-team All-Pros.
It can be argued that the Cowboys had one of the most talented teams in football this season. However, they failed to prove they belong in the upper echelon.
Their only wins over playoff teams during the regular season came over the Philadelphia Eagles twice and the New England Patriots, and they sleepwalked through most of their playoff loss to the Niners.
McCarthy is an accomplished coach who won a Super Bowl and reached the playoffs nine times during his 13-year run with the Green Bay Packers, but the Cowboys need immediate results given that they haven't made it as far as the NFC Championship Game since 1995.
If the Cowboys fire McCarthy, his late-game decision-making against the 49ers may be partly to blame.
The Cowboys had a chance to drive for the winning score in the waning seconds, but they called a quarterback draw for Prescott even though they had no timeouts remaining.
With just 14 seconds left in regulation when the play started, the Cowboys ran out of time before they could spike the ball.
Had Dallas been able to clock the ball, it could have taken a final shot at the end zone from San Francisco's 24-yard line, potentially won the game and changed the narrative surrounding McCarthy.
Another factor Jones has to consider is that offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn are receiving head coaching interest from other teams. If Jones wants to consider in-house options to replace McCarthy, he can't wait long to part ways with him.